


The Old Boat House

by Icandigelvis



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drowning, F/M, M/M, Mermaids, Mermen, Merpeople, Minor Character Death, Smut, merman levi, some horror, the merpeople are not nice creatures, to put it lightly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-01-21 07:56:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 101,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1543382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icandigelvis/pseuds/Icandigelvis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night after Eren and his friends share a bottle of whisky, two bottles of whatever Annie brought and a couple of ghost stories, they walk the path along the gravel road, through the wheat field and past the small forest and stumble upon the old boat house. Inside they find something that's sleeping on the bottom of the lake, someone clearly not human. One of them comes up with the idea they should catch it, probably fucking Jean, and in their surprise they actually succeed. However, in mere seconds the situation is suddenly turned completely upside down. </p><p>Eren doesn't fall into the water, he doesn't jump, he's pulled down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Red Clover

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written back in early 2014 but I've cleaned it up on two occasions since then; rewritten some parts, fixed grammar errors and misspellings. 03/2017
> 
> Please enjoy!

”Eren, wake up”

”Eren!”

He opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by the light, big blue. There were soft specks of clouds spread all over, some smaller some bigger, some darker. What was he doing here again?

“Eren, you’re crying,” a soft voice said next to him and he slowly sat up, staring at his sister. 

“I-what?” He said and was surprised when he heard how broken his voice was. He brought his hands up to his cheeks and just managed to catch a tear before it rolled down to his chin and fell to the grass. He looked at her and she met his eyes, scanning him trying to read him. 

“It-it was probably just a bad dream,” he said, voice still shaking. Eren stumbled to his feet, nearly tripping over his new shoes his mother had gotten him last week and looked around before exclaiming, “We should head home now. Come on.”

Eren followed behind Mikasa the entire way to their house, the branches and smaller pieces of wood all bundled together on his back. Eren looked down at the ground, blushing. He didn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place and it wasn’t like he felt tired when they left for their task. What had even happened?

Mikasa opened the door to their home, a small cottage close to the port of Shiganshina. There were clothes dancing in the wind on the clothesline and Eren sneered when he saw the green dress with red clovers on, it was the prettiest dress his mother owned and she said she would wear it tomorrow at the Spring Festival. They had prepared pies the entire day yesterday and helped their neighbors with the ale they were well loved for. 

Eren and a bunch of the boys in town had also helped with the decorations, they had gotten the strings with flags out, tied the rockets together and they were jumping all over the place of excitement. Armin, Eren’s best friend had joined the girls making origami and Eren had, for the hundred time punched a guy who was laughing and calling his blond friend a girl. But after the boy apologized Eren was over it and he was still happy with the day when he fell asleep that night, trying to save his excitement for the festival. Not that he would ever run out of it. 

He was brought out of his thinking when a finger tightly gripped his right ear. 

“Eren, did you leave Mikasa to collect all the firewood again?” his mother asked, her grip immediately making Eren hold up his hands in surrender. 

“Mom, ow!” he yelled before slinking away and running into his room. 

“Eren, get back here!” He heard after him. 

***-***-***

 

There was a knock on the front door and Carla put the wooden spoon down, turning around and looking towards the door. Her eyebrows furrowed when she slowly stood up and dried her hands on her apron. Eren and Mikasa looked at her from the table, Eren’s food already gone. 

“Are you expecting someone?” Mikasa asked and Carla shook her head, eyes still on the door. Suddenly they heard a scream far away and Eren jumped from the table, Mikasa pushing her chair out. 

Carla opened the door and there was a large, large man standing in front of it, blocking all view of their neighborhood. Eren watched how his mother suddenly hunched over, it looked like she was staring into the man’s chest. 

Something was wrong. 

Something was seriously wrong. 

Then she fell over and hit the floor, her body rolled around and Eren could see the dark liquid dirtying her dress, her white dress and her apron. She would never get the white dress dirty, what was happening? The boy could see his mother’s desperate eyes on him and he watched as her lips moved but he couldn’t hear anything. He couldn’t hear anything at all, everything around him was muted, even as he felt Mikasa grip his arms and pull him towards the bedroom. She quickly locked the door behind them. He didn’t hear Mikasa screaming in his face, he just saw her mouth move and her expression one he’d never seen before. Why was she looking so horrified? What was happening? She was gripping and shaking his shoulders as tears streamed down her face. Mikasa never cried.

What was happening?

His mother…

she…

Eren didn’t have time to collect himself before he saw Mikasa opening the windows and turning to Eren, clearly screaming his name. He jumped out on her command, watching her follow and suddenly his hearing came back with an explosion. They both slapped their hands to their ears and crouched at the sudden sound, Eren stomach continuing to turn, a nauseous feeling hitting him. 

Don’t throw up. Not now.

“Eren, come on!” His sister screamed and he scrambled to his feet, not remembering falling in the first place and ran after her. As they ran by the sea side, behind the woods, they could see through the bushes and beyond the tree trunks as fire was lit everywhere, engulfing the tavern, Matt’s house, the carpenter’s house and other cottages. Eren turned his head and looked backwards and he gasped as he saw their house. It was in high flames and he cried out. Mikasa turned back and suddenly they both hit something hard. The siblings turned their heads and stared up at a familiar face, thank God. 

“Hannes, Carla, s-she’s…” Mikasa tried and inhaled loudly before she could finish the sentence. Hannes face changed from something that could be described as determined to sorrow, like someone pulled the plug and drained him of all happiness. After a second of nothing but the loud sound of explosions, screams, sounds of metal against metal and Mikasa’s now loud crying Hannes bent down and put his hands on both Eren’s and Mikasa’ shoulders, looking at them with a new objective in his eyes. 

“We’re going to run for your mothers old skiff, I need to you to be quick on your feet and Mikasa, I know it’s hard but I need you to stay quiet,” he said, his voice lowered and serious, in a tone Eren had never heard him talk in before. Hannes was the funny guy, he liked to spoil then, he’d never heard the man speak without smiling or laughing. 

Eren looked at his sister and put his arm up and patted her on the back as she dried her face on her sleeve. 

He wanted to be strong for her, he wanted to show them he could protect her too, that it wasn’t always the other way around, Eren could be strong too. She gave him a small smile and that was apparently the signal Hannes needed before he grabbed them both by their wrists and started running. Mikasa was still in her dress, clearly not made for running and after a while Hannes bent down a picked her up and Eren was now on his own. No hand to hold and get dragged by, but only Hannes back to keep track of. The blond man turned his eyes frequently to check that Eren was still with him. 

They reached their house again and Eren bit his lip not to cry out as he watched the roof of his house fall in. The clothes on the clothing line had all caught fire and while Hannes untied the rope and pushed the boat into the water Eren watched his mother’s dress dace in the wind. It was already turning to ashes and black fabric was falling to the ground under it. He saw his mother’s face, her kind and soft arms in the clothing and she looked at him, her entire body on fire. 

“Be safe, Eren,” he heard her say and he gulped as he watched the dress fall to the grass. The sentence was so familiar to him, he must have heard it every day he left the house to do something and it felt so real. 

He was grabbed and lifted into the boat, Hannes arms rough around him compared to his mother’s soothing touch as she placed her hand on his cheek, stroking it gently. 

“You’re going to be okay. Take care of Mikasa,” she whispered and the blinding fire was warm against his skin. 

“Armin!” Mikasa suddenly screamed and Eren’s mother disappeared with the wind as he turned to stare at his sister again, then at the place where she was pointing. There, by the cliffs they saw their friend run. Hannes stopped the boat and even though they were a while out he quickly rowed backwards, getting the boat to touch land. Armin immediately jumped in, his arm around a bundle Eren recognized as his mother’s kitchen cloth, yellow with red and blue flowers, yep, that was it. 

Armin was crying loudly as he stumbled inside and Mikasa took the bundle from him, setting it down on the floor while Armin moved to sit beside Eren who was positioned at the back where there was more space, Eren moving his arms to embrace Armin who was gripping at nothing. Hannes was quiet and so was Mikasa as they both looked towards their small village as it was devoured in the flames, the barbarians roaming around the place, shouting and yelling while screams could still be heard. 

Eren looked at his blond friend to his side and noticed the blood on his shirt. 

“Armin. Armin, are you okay?” He said, his voice sturdier that he expected. Armin shook his head as he bawled out into the night, his eyes shut close. Eren took the permission to examine his friend for injuries, lifting his shirt and feeling his arms. Nothing on his legs, he had run fine up to the boat. So it must be someone else’s blood. There was a scratch on his hand that was bleeding but Eren just dried it off with his sleeve. 

“Eren, get Armin to be quiet,” Hannes almost hissed at the other, turning his face at the boy while his arms moved almost furiously to get the boat to move faster. They were quite a bit out now but if anyone stood on the port and looked left long enough they might spot them. Eren doubted the pirates would come after them but he was happy Hannes kept his eyes out. 

Eren grabbed Armin and shoved the smaller boy into his chest more firmly, patting his friend’s hair. He didn’t have to repeat what Hannes said and the boy was soon only sobs and snuffles. 

The wind was hard and the night was cold. 

Eren didn’t dare turning back to look at the place he called home as it was no longer what it once was.


	2. Probably just a bad dream

Eren had insisted on rowing but each time Hannes told him no. He said he wanted to keep track on which direction they were headed and the child had just groaned for the fifth time, even him tired of arguing. Armin was sleeping in his lap and while Mikasa had gone through the provisions Armin had with him, maybe packed by his mother before she somehow fell behind, they didn’t know and Armin had been quiet the few last hours after his crying. 

The brown haired boy looked up, his eyes tired and half closed and he could feel his head starting to fall. Spotting something in the water in front of them, Eren straightened up. He noticed Mikasa had fallen asleep too, her head leaning on her shoulder as she sat in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. Eren looked at Hannes and nodded his head forward, the man raising an eyebrow before turning to look out the water. He spun back around and begun paddling a bit faster, turning every now and then to look behind him to see where he was going and what they actually were heading towards. 

After a while Eren could make out cliffs and he sighed as he noticed it was just a bunch of rocks sticking out of the water, informing Hannes. But the other looked content, almost happy as he made his way towards the rocks. As they pulled up to one of the stones Mikasa and Armin were waking up, both rubbing their eyes from the sleep. 

“We’ll sleep here, children. I need to rest and I think we all will feel a little better after, also no bobbing here and there. I’m not gonna lie but I’m a little sea sick” Hannes said and his voice sounded dry. Eren thought about the bottle of water they had found in Armin’s kit but kept his mouth shut. They needed to save as much as possible and Hannes knew that. Who knew how long they would be out here?

The children all cuddled up together, Eren the furthest out, Mikasa lying by a stone covering over her back and both siblings turned to Armin who was now almost shaking in the cold. Eren removed his overly large scarf and pushed it over his sister and best friend who he sometimes even called brother, and then laid down behind him. He pressed his nose to Armin’s head, slightly warming it and he opened his eyes as he heard Hannes cuss behind him while he probably tried to tie the boat to a rock or something. 

Eren’s eyes met with Mikasa’s and she observed him for a while before closing hers, followed by Hannes sitting down by a rock on the other side. Eren took a deep breath before he fell asleep. 

***-***-***

When he woke up it was still dark, the moon was high up on the sky and there was no trace that sun would show up soon. There were no birds in the sky but Eren thought to himself again, as Mikasa had commented on it earlier that they probably didn’t go this far out. The rocks around them were fairly clean and probably got rained on a lot, they were not filled with bird poop. 

He let out a shaky breath as a shiver traveled up his body. Hannes had thrown the small cloth over their backs but Eren had moved away from it in his sleep; Armin turned towards Mikasa in front of him. 

Eren was startled when heard an almost silent splash and turned his head upwards, looking out between the rocks. He could see Hannes sitting against the rock, hands tied, resting over his stomach and his chest moving in regular lifts. Eren turned his head further and could see the boat lying still in the clear water. There was a thick mist around their small cliff-island, even heavier than earlier, and an eerie feeling crept up Eren’s body.

The boy squinted his eyes but didn’t see anything, he guessed the boat just moved slightly in the wind or something. But he knew there wasn’t any wind and he couldn’t see any circles around the boat, or the thing even move a millimeter. 

And then suddenly he saw it, while narrow his eyes, he could focus on whatever was moving by the water. Eren’s almost upside down view made it hard to actually see what it was but he also didn’t dare to move. Then the moonlight fell on the most beautiful eyes Eren had ever seen. 

They were strong, holding so much expression and Eren was sure they were silver. Who even had silver eyes?

The thing that apparently did slowly moved closer and Eren now noticed it was a human. The man’s face, as Eren guessed by the short hair, came slowly towards him as the person crawled on the cliff, his chin just rising from the water, the dripping loud into the otherwise complete silence around them. His arms were also glistering in the light, hoisted up on the cliff. He looked strong, Eren thought. 

The boy still didn’t dare to move; his grip around Armin firm. Then he noticed something behind the black-haired male and he saw a red haired person rise from the water. She had long, dark eyelashes and her hair was shining in the moonlight. Her eyes were angry, dangerous and Eren could now hear his heartbeat in his ears. How long had she been under water?

Then her lips rose above the surface and Eren gasped when he saw her mouth. He snapped his head up and boosted himself up with his elbow, releasing Armin. 

She had teeth like a shark, they looked like glass shards, like teeth that fitted the monsters in the horror stories Matt’s older brother told them. 

But when Eren looked around he couldn’t see anyone, they had both disappeared under the surface when Eren moved. Had he scared them off? His mind wandered off to possible outcomes, of them getting attacked by the sea monsters, of demons that looked like humans who crawled up on land to eat little boys who had been bad. 

Slowly he sat up properly, his eyes studying the rocks around them. There was nothing he could see and the circles by the water were already gone. 

Were there any in the first place? 

Eren heard a slow groan behind him and looked down at Armin who clutched his arms around himself, Mikasa sitting up beside him but keeping her head low since the big rock was leaning over her. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, looking her brother over. Eren nodded slowly, uncertainly as his eyes kept scanning the place. 

“I think I saw someone,” he whispered. 

“You saw someone?”

“By the cliff, over there,” he pointed. “I’m sure I saw this man in the water, he had shining eyes and-and… there was a girl too, with red hair. Her teeth were sharp as a dog's. No sharper!” Eren said, ducking when he heard he had raised his voice, a hand moving to cover his mouth. Hannes stayed still and Armin merely stirred while Mikasa raised her eyebrow at him. 

“Why would anybody be in the water, Eren? They would freeze to death if not drown,” She said and her brother recognized that voice, her disbelief visible in her otherwise expressionless voice. 

“I don’t know, I just… I saw them, I’m sure…” he tried but the more he thought about it he knew how it didn’t make any sense. Mikasa slowly laid down again, after a quick look towards where Eren was staring. 

“It was probably just a bad dream, Eren. You’re tried, much has happened and you know what they say. That the mist makes you go a little…", she released a sigh." 

"Let’s just lie down again. Armin is waking up,” she said and Eren watched as she sneaked her hand over Armin’s clasped hands again, warming them. After one last look towards the water Eren stretched out behind them, one arm over his blond friend again and the two fell asleep.

\-------

“What should we do?”

“I…”

“Mikasa!”

“I don’t know, Armin. I don’t know!” a familiar voice shouted and Eren felt his sleepiness slinking away, his eyes slowly opening and blinking, nothing but a giant rock in front of his view. He groaned as he sat up, looking at the two who stood behind him. 

“What’s happening?” he asked, yawning mid-question. The fog had cleared and the sun was out, he could also hear lapping waves around them. 

“Eren, we-“ Mikasa started before she brought a hand up to her mouth, quieting herself. She was crying, Eren noticed. 

“Hannes is gone,” Armin said while Eren was quick on his legs, staring at Mikasa. He looked at Armin briefly before back to his sister. 

“Wait, what? What do you mean he’s gone?” Eren asked and looked around them. The cliffs were empty. He took a few steps and looked the big rock over, there was nothing there, only Armin and Mikasa and the old skiff bobbing in the water. It was pushed up towards a stone because of the waves but the rope still held the boat in place. 

“But-“ he started and looked around. Why would Hannes just leave? Did he go for a swim, Eren thought before asking Armin who shook his head and shrugged at the same time. What was going on?

“We should stay and wait for a bit, maybe Hannes really did swim somewhere,” Mikasa said, voice nowhere near collected. 

“Mikasa that doesn’t make sense and you know it. And if he did shouldn’t he have left his watch or his shoes not to get wet? And he would have woken us up!” he exclaimed and Mikasa looked hit after each and every word. 

“Hey,” Eren said, standing in front of his sister. Then he saw that Armin’s eyes were teary too and Eren’ shoulders fell. They were all alone now, weren’t they?

They decided to wait either way, in case something showed up. A miracle, a boat, who knew. But they sat down after Armin went to fetch the bundle he had brought and parted the bread into three pieces. No one stopped him to demand he broke it into four which proved that no one actually believed Hannes would magically show up, swimming around the corner or falling from the sky. The weather was cloudy and Eren felt the wind pick up, he brought his arms around himself and suggested they shared some of the water too. Hannes had told them yesterday that they were at no point to drink the water under the boat as it was too salty for a human to consume and would just make your body thirstier. They all knew it, living in a small village relying on the ocean around it. But it was still nice hearing some rules being made, as if they were going on a very important adventure. And Eren guessed they were though; they were trying to save their own lives at least. 

And now they had failed because Hannes was gone. 

There was a silence laying over the three as they shared the bottle around, Armin took a last gulp before he closed the cap and fastened the bottle by the strap to his belt, they now had half left. There was dried meat wrapped in paper in his package too and it made Eren’ mouth water. His stomach had made several complaints yesterday and now all of their stomachs made the occasional purr. There was an apple too and Armin handed it to Eren, who in turn raised his eyebrows. 

“You’re going to do the rowing so you need a sugar boost. Take it,” he said and Eren complied, taking it and looking at the other’s before taking a bite. He made Mikasa eat some too as she was probably going to row some herself. She was fast and quick on her feet but Eren had the strength out of the two, and the endurance she didn’t. 

While Mikasa finished the apple and Eren was untying the rope from around the stone he couldn’t help but to think about the weird dream he had yesterday. Those silver eyes felt so real and Eren shuddered and finally got the slippery rope free. He hauled to boat closer to him, holding the edge while looking at the others over his arm. 

“Are you coming?” He asked and he watched Mikasa walk towards him while Armin’s head popped up on the other side of the small cliff-island. Eren raised his eyebrow at Mikasa who just shrugged and went to hold the boat together with Eren, the waves tugging hard now. 

Armin picked up a stick he apparently found on the other side, tied the yellow table cloth to it and moved a slightly bigger rock before stuffing it down in between. He let go gently and the flag now stood high on the cliffs. 

Eren didn’t ask why Armin did it, neither did Mikasa and Armin didn’t mention it after he pushed them out with his leg, stumbling into the boat. Mikasa took seat in the front of the boat, sitting on her knees on the small space, her back to the other’s while she kept her eyes out for anything that could signal land. 

Armin sat at the back, staring at his feet and occasionally rubbing his boots together as to get rid of invisible dirt. Eren had rowed many times before with Mikasa or his mother and he was well acquainted with the paddles but after just half an hour he started to feel his arms getting heavy. He was fighting against the waves and Eren kept his line straight, the top of the cliffs just by Armin’s right shoulder and they should be on the track Hannes wanted them to go towards. The man had seemed a bit surprised and even a bit concerned when he saw the cliffs; maybe they had crossed a path he didn’t expect. Maybe they were completely lost. 

***-***-***

“Let’s switch,” Mikasa said for the third time that day and Eren dropped the paddles for the first time, his hands screaming and were probably full of blisters by now. He stood up in the boat, not bothering if it turned in any direction. The rocks were out of sight by now and there was nothing around them they could see. Mikasa quickly grabbed the two wooden steering tools though and sat down where Eren had been panting a second ago. Eren took her seat, hands resting on the side of the skiff, his head leaning backwards. He was tempted to reach into the water and to spray some on his arms but he knew he would be cold soon since Armin was practically shaking from his seat. Instead he removed his jacket, only sitting in his thin shirt. He threw it at Mikasa and nodded Armin’s way. He wasn’t daring enough to just throw it over Mikasa and maybe drop it in the water. They would be able to pick it up, of course, but it would be soaking wet and cold. Armin gave him a small smile before putting it on, buttoning it with shaky hands. 

 

They continued like that, shifted the entire night, taking turns on who would row. Even Armin had to take turns, he couldn’t keep on as long as his friends but it was visible he tried his best, until he was heavily panting. No one knew if they were even heading towards anything or just going deeper out the ocean but it was nice to have something to keep their mind to, maybe they were going in the exact direction Hannes wanted them to, maybe they were going back. Eren kept having nightmares when it was his turn to sleep, about Hannes showing up at the cliffs and realizing the boat and the children were gone. Maybe they didn’t check everywhere. 

What the children of course didn’t notice when they left the island was the eyes following them back by the cliffs. The creature grunted before sliding down from the rocks. It was time to leave, the sharks would pick up the smell of blood soon either way.


	3. Sail without wind

Eren squinted his eyes for the fifth time that morning. The sun had risen above the horizon and his back was starting to feel warm compared to the coldness the night had offered them.

No, there was definitely something there. He was seeing something.

Eren opened his mouth to speak to the others, both lying on the floor of the skiff, but the moment he tried to use his voice he started coughing. They had run out of water two days ago and Armin had wordlessly dropped the bottle to the floor after Eren took the last swig, barely a mouthful.

Eren dropped the left paddle to grip his throat. They weren’t going to make it. Whatever it was he saw at the horizon, it looked like trees, were probably just his imagination.

They had been out here for five days now, they had no food, no water and Eren was pretty sure Armin was knocked out on the floor, not sleeping. He had to check if he was breathing. Eren bent his knees to reach Armin and instead fell over the other. Armin groaned under him, weakly pushing on Eren’s arm.

So he was alive after all.

“Is it my turn?” Armin said, his voice hoarse and strained and Eren couldn’t do anything but cough. Armin stumbled to the rower’s seat and stared at Eren, the other staring back, eyes half-lidded before Armin started rowing. The waves were not too hard and Armin made them move, Eren was sure.

“Is that land over there, was that what you saw, Eren?” Armin whispered and Eren grinned after his attack of coughing was over, nothing to cough up either way. He nodded and leaned his head back against the floor. A familiar metallic taste hit his tongue instead and Eren inwardly cursed.

“Eren,” Armin suddenly hissed, it was harsh and louder than his previous question and Eren opened his eyes to see Armin staring at something to his left. Eren slowly sat up as Armin smacked Mikasa’s leg weakly, but she woke up none the less, coughing just like Eren.

Armin started waving frantically suddenly and Eren sat up higher, peeking over the edge of the boat. When he saw the larger boat that was pulling up to them he let his head fall back to the floor. When he heard a deep voice call “hey, are you kids okay?” it was enough. Enough for him to know he could let go.

And he blacked out.

***-***-***

When Eren woke up he was in a room he wasn’t familiar with. He stared at the ceiling for a minute before grabbing at the glass of water that was set by the bed. He greedily gulped it all down, his head dropping back on the bed. It was soft, very soft. He looked down at himself and noted he had new clothes on. Huh.

He looked up when the door opened but didn’t have the energy to move. He kept his half opened eyes on the man that entered.

No, not a man. A boy.

A boy about the same height as Eren, maybe a bit taller, walked inside and set down a tray beside Eren on the table. He didn’t seem to notice Eren was awake, carefully moving the glass of water over a bit. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked concerned if not a bit irritated, staring into the wall for a moment. His hair was weird, Eren noted. It was darker by his roots but the rest was a blond-gray tone, like a weird undercut.

Suddenly the boy’s brown eyes fell on Eren’s sea green ones.

And the boy jumped, a yell escaping his lips.

Eren didn’t even move from the sudden sound but groaned instead at the loudness, staring at the other.

“Huh, you both look and sound like a horse,” Eren said before his vision went black again as he fell into unconsciousness from the lack of energy.

A knock on the door is what wakes Eren up for the third time that day and he cracks his eyes open, dust or an eyelash or something falling into one of his eyes. Rubbing desperately at it while sitting up at Eren turns to look at the person in the doorway.

“Hello honey, are you feeling better? You’ve been out for the entire day now,” a small woman said, her voice smooth and collected, reminding him of Jim’s mother who used to tell stories back in their village. This woman’s voice was a bit lighter however.

Eren dropped his fist when he started to rub too hard, his vision getting a bit blurry. He glanced at the table by his side. He didn't remember waking and eating after he fell asleep earlier, when the boy had entered. But the tray gone nonetheless. And so was the sun outside.

The room was dark and there was a warm light shining from the doorway, behind the woman. Eren must be in someone’s bedroom.

He struggled off the bed, swaying a bit when his feet met with the wooden floor and the woman was there to steady him. He held onto her, he immediately trusted her and looked at her to say something, something important. Perhaps a thank you or a question. Anything.

Instead Eren starts bawling. 

The woman seems surprised at first but bends down to pick Eren up, holding him while she walks outside and sits down on something, a couch or chair, letting him lean onto her shoulder to cry out. She’s patting his back and Eren can see between teary eyes that Armin and Mikasa are sitting by the table, beside the horse boy from earlier.

They’re all okay.

“So, so,” the woman soothes him; softly rocking him back and forth, “there, there.” Eren is crying too hard, clutching the back of the woman’s shirt so hard he’s afraid it will rip. She’s too fat to be his mother, she smells very different and her voice is lighter than Carla’s but that doesn’t matter right now. All Eren wants is comfort.

Eren feels his tears starting to run out after a few minutes and while he’s still sniffling, his face now pressed against her warm chest, he’s still getting rocked and gently sung to. It’s a language he doesn’t recognize and he tries to concentrate on the words, trying to understand them. His mother would sometimes speak German to Eren; her father had apparently spoken it fluently and she had caught some of it. She could also sing songs and tell some tales and rhymes, certain words and phrases and Eren had been very curious and eager as a child to learn.

There were words in this woman’s lullaby that he thought he understood and he noticed he had stopped crying when she stopped singing, looking down at him. She was smiling and she got handed a rug of some sort from someone and rubbed his face with. She even made him blow his nose and Eren was pretty embarrassed when he stumbled to his feet to sit down beside Mikasa. Eren might be young but he wasn’t a baby. His sister immediately put her arms around him and Armin moved Eren’s hand to tie them together. Eren was out of tears and the others seemed to be too. So they just sat in silence for a while before they heard a knock on the door.

A man Eren had barely noticed before stood from a chair and walked out of sight. The boy was still sitting by the table with the three and Eren caught his eyes before looking down. The boy had a book in front of him and Eren wondered if they had interrupted him, or if Eren had when he got carried out by the woman that was probably the boy’s mother.

Eren heard the man open the door and greet another deep voice. The woman stood up and Eren noticed she had draped a blanket over her shoulders, probably because she was cold. Eren blushed as he realized it was probably because he had wet down her entire shirt with his tears and snot. Shaking the embarrassing thoughts away he looked up at her, Mikasa undraping herself from Eren, looking at her as she spoke.

“I made Doctor Grisha to come over to take a quick look on you. There are many people still arriving but he said he had time” she informed them and the next second a tall man with glasses and a ponytail entered the kitchen. He looked them over, nodded a hello and dropped the bag on the counter, his back to the children.

“He wanted you all to be awake first though,” she finished and Grisha gestured to the dinner table, asking if someone could hand him a chair. The father, Eren assumed he was at least, grabbed the one opposite of the boy and placed it by the counter. Then the doctor turned to the kids who were still pretty much gripping at each other.

“I’m pretty sure Jean doesn’t need a checkup, he’s staying away from roof-top-jumping activities nowadays, right?” he asked and looked at the other man who nodded and chuckled, Eren turning to watch the boy blush and make a face.  
“- so if any of you want to get up here I’ll make a quick check on you, okay?” He asked and after no one moved Eren made his way out of his seat and sat down in the chair opposite of the man. It was cold against his back and legs and he shivered even though the heat in the cabin.

“What’s your name?” the man asked as he picked up something Eren was pretty sure was a stethoscope. Eren looked inside the bag and saw some syringes before turning away, not wanting to know all the content in there. What if the man picked up a saw and demanded to saw Eren’s leg off. Eren didn’t trust doctors.

“It’s Eren,” he said quietly and the man looked at him for a moment and Eren stared back into his eyes.

“Okay then, Eren, just relax and breathe normally,” he said before he pressed the cold, round, flat end to Eren’s chest, not even bothering to remove his shirt. He put the headpiece on and listened for a while. Then he checked Eren’s pulse and when Eren thought he was done he pinched the skin on his arm and mumbled something to himself.

“You’re fine, with some more food and a lot of water you’re okay,” he said in his serious voice and Eren grumbled a bit as an answer.

After he had checked on all of them the doctor took his bag and left after exclaiming they were all a bit dehydrated, Armin in particular, and that they should just rest, eat a lot vegetables and of course drink a lot of water.

The woman, Mrs. Kirschstein, as the doctor called her before leaving, went up to them and smiled.

“We’re going to have dinner now and then you can go to sleep, I promise. I can see you drifting off a bit, Mikasa,” she went over to the stove and picked up a pot Eren had seen Mr. Kirschstein fiddle with earlier and they all sat down on the exact six chairs, Eren ending up between Mikasa and the father.

Eren waited for a prayer or something before they could dig in because he had to at Armin’s place every time he ate. At this house, however, they instantly started passing the pots around and started talking.

Mrs. Kirschstein had cooked a stew of some sort. Pork, Eren thought as he chewed on the tender meat. It tasted really good together with the rice and even though Eren avoided the broccoli he didn’t get scolded for it. Mrs. Kirschstein asked if he wanted any and Eren politely declined and that was it. She even offered to get him another kind of vegetable and got up to fetch him a half cucumber. When they were done Eren, Mikasa and Armin were trying to help as much as possible with the shores, getting everything off the table. Mikasa desperately tried to clean the plates but Mr. Kirschstein laughed and swatted her hands away.

“It’s bedtime for the children now, you’re not to be up and do fun activities,” he joked and led Mikasa into the big bedroom Eren had been sleeping in earlier. Inside Eren and Armin were already standing, trying not to be in the way as Mrs. Kirschstein fussed around in the room with sheets and pillows. When she was done she gestured to the large bed.

“You can take it tonight as I assume you three want to stay close but tomorrow we’re going into town to try to further find if anyone knows you. As I said earlier there have been some other ships which arrived yesterday and today. We can go ask around a bit and hopefully find someone related to you,” she said softly and made her way to the door where Mikasa was now standing.

“B-but isn’t this your room?” Armin asked, turning to the woman. She smiled and giggled.

“No, honey, this is the guest room. Mine and Gerald’s room are just to the right. Jean’s room is after that and I warn you, you don’t want to wake a grumpy Jean up in the middle of the night,” she said, a hand beside her mouth as if she was whispering.

“Okay?” She asked and they all nodded and she gently closed the door after her and they could hear low voices on the other side for a minute before it went quiet. They had all scrambled into the bed, Eren removing his pants, a bit bothered by the fact that he was even wearing new underwear. Mikasa noticed him staring down at himself and giggled.

“We all got a quick bath when we arrived here, I put on your clothes together with Mrs. Kirschstein, don’t worry,” she said and Eren didn’t understand how that made it any better, blushing. He just grunted and went past her, jumping into the bed and taking the center. He waited for the other two to join him, Mikasa still in a white dress, actually similar to the one they left in, was up by his side and keeping close. Armin removed his shirt and crawled in on the other side, reaching for the lamp on the stand.

When it was dark Eren turned towards the blond and felt Mikasa sip her arms around his body, her head against his back. Eren tucked Armin in, smirking a bit at the other’s almost glaring face as he pushed his arms in and under the cover. He rested his arm above the covers, next to Armin’s hip and closed his eyes, air escaping his lips as he smiled and exhaled.

‘We’re going to be okay’, he thought before he fell asleep next to his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lullaby: 
> 
> Vem kan segla förutan vind,  
> vem kan ro utan åror,  
> vem kan skiljas från vännen sin  
> utan att fälla tårar?
> 
> Jag kan segla förutan vind,  
> jag kan ro utan åror,  
> men ej skiljas från vännen min  
> utan att fälla tårar.
> 
>  
> 
> Who can sail without wind?  
> Who can row without oars?  
> Who can part from his friend  
> Without shedding tears?
> 
> I can sail without wind,  
> I can row without oars,  
> But I cannot part from my friend  
> Without shedding tears.  
>  


	4. The horse, humans best friend

After waking and eating a quiet breakfast, Eren receiving glares from the kid the entire time, they were going to make their way to the square which they kept referring to as the ‘Rose Garden’. He had learned yesterday that they had gotten to Trost which was a much bigger town than Shiganshina, it was a place most merchants of Shiganshina had gone to purchase their fabric, spices and other things. Eren also knew that when the merchants and sailors took a ship to Trost it didn’t take five days, only 2 at most. Even though they were in a skiff they must have made the path much longer, possibly a half circle, going more north than planned, considering the weather.

Neither of the three had been in Trost before but Eren knew his mother had, Hannes might have also and maybe it was the direction he wanted them to go towards.

“Eren? We’re gonna go soon,” Armin said who Eren noticed was wearing his own blue shirt. Mikasa however was still wearing the borrowed dress as he remembered her being a bit torn up, his sister had explained that the neighbors had a daughter their age and was polite enough to lend two to her. Jean’s clothes were a bit oversized for Armin and Eren guessed that was the reason Armin was quick into his own. It was obviously washed however as there were no blood stains on the front anymore.

“Now kids, I… I want to warn you, we don’t know for sure that there will be people you know. There definitely might, I think we’ve had three or four ships arriving from Shiganshina,” Mr. Kirschstein said and got a scowl from his wife when he turned. She glared at him and he bent down to tie his boots.

“It’s going to be fine, I’m sure you will see some familiar faces,” she smiled their way and Eren watched Armin nod in the corner of his eye. The pair had said that three or four boats had arrived, right? Depending on the size it could either be a lot of people or very few, but then again the village was very small so they were bound to at least recognize the majority from Shiganshina. It was a small village; people knew each other.

They trailed after the couple and Eren noticed when they exited the house that the sun was still just rising. Huh, he didn’t recall that they had been up that early this morning. Had none of them been able to sleep well? He knew he felt tired but since everyone else was awake when Eren opened his eyes he just assumed it was quite late in the morning.

The house, Eren realized, was bigger than his home back from their home town, it didn’t have two floors like some other houses around but it definitely took up space. The yard led to a forest which apparently Mr. Kirschstein owned where he would sell wood. But mostly the yard was filled with the fishing nets as he was a fisherman, that’s how he had found the children at first.

He could hear Jean grunting behind them as the boy walked last in row, kicking at stones every now and then. One hit Eren’s leg and he ignored it, his eye slightly twitching however. The second time he felt a rock hit him he turned and stared, glaring a little bit at the other. Jean did nor said anything to apologize and didn’t show any sign of planning to do so and Eren turned back to look forward again, walking after Armin and Mikasa which were mumbling about the places they passed as they made their way forward. Mr. and Mrs. Kirschstein were speaking rather loudly at the front, talking about the Governor as they were walking towards the Rose Garden, probably having walked this road many times before.

However, when Eren got hit the third he turned around fully and up right glared at the boy, stopping in his tracks.

“Could you please stop?” He gritted out between his teeth and Jean stopped walking too as Eren was in his way. He raised his eyebrow at the other. Eren cursed silently as Jean was slightly taller than him, towering over his body.

“Huh?” He asked, acting all oblivious. Eren narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist by his side. Both boys looked up when they heard Mr. Kirschstein calling, Eren turning around and grunting. He glared at Jean one final time before catching up to the other’s, Jean on his heels.

Literally.

As he stepped on Eren’s heel.

But before Eren could turn to punch the other Mikasa gripped his arm, hard and pulled him forward.

“Ow, Mikasa!” Eren hissed as he was dragged forwards and he noticed the narrow allay was no longer around them and they were now standing on a city square of some sort. The houses and shops were positioned around the place in an almost perfect circle and in the middle there was a small fountain, about 2 meters high, picturing a boy in a half-jump. When Mikasa continued to pull Eren forwards and rounding the statue Eren saw the statue was playing with a smaller dog. There were roses, Eren guessed, growing on and around the statue but since it was already September there were only brown leaves on the bush. He wondered what color the roses would be in spring.

Mikasa’s grip had loosened a bit and now she was just leading him forward, he snapped his eyes in her direction and saw an old man sitting on a bench, his shoulders covered by a brown, almost dirty-looking blanket. Eren immediately recognized him.

“Armin, Mikasa and Eren,” Mr. Schreiner said and his raspy, familiar voice almost made Eren’s eyes tear.

“I’m so happy to see you kids are okay,” he brought a heavily tattooed arm out and patted Eren on his shoulder, Mikasa smiling at the old man.

“How’s everyone doing?” Armin asked.

“Oh, Eren,” he sighed, ”we’ve lost so many. I’m so sorry-“

“No, I know. Who is… alive?” Eren asked, stumbling on the words. The old shoe maker made a sympathetic smile, glancing to his left.

“Most people are resting in the tavern, I’m sure you could catch some people, the people of Trost are really kind to us, right now it’s a meeting place for the citizens from Shiganshina,” he said.

“Should we go take a look?” Mrs. Kirschstein said, suddenly leaning down, her hands on her knees while she smiled at them, her husband starting to chat with Mr. Schreiner. “I’m sure some of your friends are there and they should be up by now, it’s about time for breakfast,” she said and straightened up, walking towards one of the biggest buildings, made in some sort of dark wood. There was a sign of the same material hanging over the entry, it said “Blouse’s Tavern”, carved into the wood.

They followed her inside and Eren suddenly stared face to face with the biggest boar he had ever seen. It gave him a shiver as he stared at the beast, placed in the middle of the lobby. He heard Mrs. Kirschstein laugh and Eren guessed his expression was similar to Armin’s and Mikasa’s.

“Mr. Blouse caught that beast just a few years ago, it had been tormenting many people for long and no one dared to enter the woods at one point. Then Mr. Blouse here together with a few of the other hunters went out. I know it might seem a bit… brutal to stuff him and have it put up here but Potato did give us a lot of trouble,” she said and pretty much slapped the boar on his ass. Armin’s eyes widened even further and Eren was worried they were going to pop out at that point.

“You named him…?” Eren asked, not sure if he heard wrong or if he was just losing it completely.

“Potato, yes. He’s sort of a mascot around here now, more than a trophy. People usually even greet him when they come here to eat,” she said, laughing yet again at their faces. Then her expression softened as she gestured for the second set of doors she were standing in front of.

“Are you ready?”

Eren took a deep breath, gripping Armin’s and his sister’s arms and walking forwards. He had already heard the mumbling when they entered the lobby but when he actually saw so many familiar faces all at once he felt relief in his chest. There were about three long tables filled with people, all stuffed together eating what looked like oatmeal among other things. Kids were chewing on bread and everyone had glasses in front of them. There had to be at least 20 to 30 people in there and Armin was out of his arm the next second, he had darted towards the table in the corner, by the windows. Eren watched as Armin jumped into the arms of his uncle, Markus, and Eren let out a breath he didn’t know he held.

“Eren? Mikasa?” He heard a voice coming from the middle of the room and Mikasa’s whimper was enough to make Eren’s eyes water as he saw Frida standing up from one of the tables. They ran to her and both got pulled into her warm blanket, some people cheering around them. Frida was a close friend to Carla and was more than often over to gossip with his mother, bringing cookies every now and then to spoil Jaeger’s children. She didn’t have any of her own and had been assigned their official godmother and nanny.

There was also Annie sitting in the corner with her father, Eren furthermore swore he saw Ulrik and Mrs. Violet two seats away from them and then there was Philip too. Old Hugo was also coming down the stairs as he looked up.

Yeah, they were definitely going to be okay.

***-***-***

The children got to stay at Mr. and Mrs. Kirschstein’s house for a little more than a week before they were moved to the city’s orphanage. It’s was definitely not as bad as it sounded at first; they got clean clothes, food and soft beds. Their relatives, Armin’s uncle for example insisted that Armin stayed there while he looks for a job together with the rest of the now unemployed people who escaped from Shiganshina. Some people were set on going back, which was a sensitive topic to talk about as the place was most likely land to the barbarians now, the people from west. Others were going to continue east towards the Capital. There was at least one boat that had headed north to Shina, some people were going to meet up with them. Frida fortunately gets accepted as a nanny at the orphanage which makes the place much better for Eren, Armin and Mikasa. The building is placed not far from Jean’s house and it exists of a rather large, white wooden building with a large yard, white gates and even a small playground.

Darius Zackly is the head there and is to be referred to as Mr. Zackly at all times, as they’re told. Eren is happy to share his room with Armin and they’re first both a bit cautious about the shy and quiet Marco who already lived in there but he turns out to be a really nice and polite guy with a weird sense of humor. The share the room with three other boys but they’re all older and while Marco is two years older than them they get along really well.

And then years pass.

 

***-***-***

“Eren, are fucking shitting me?”

“Shut up horse face, and yes, I’m serious. You in or not?”

“You know I’m in you little shit-face.”

“Hey, fuck-tard, shut your mouth.”

“You know what you fucking cock-“

“That’s enough, kids,” a stern voice interrupted them and both of the bickering boys straightened up, staring at Hugo who just entered the room, holding a tray full of plates balancing on each other.

“Sorry Hugo,” Eren said and turned to resume with the preparation of the vegetables. Eren had from the start been assigned to wash the dishes when he got a job at the tavern. He had just turned 16 when he got the job and after a quick test by Mr. Blouse he got the job. Eren had been thrilled, talking about how much money he was going to make and that Armin and him could buy their own apartment with it since they would be pretty much kicked out of the orphanage when they turned 18.

However when Eren had entered the tavern, woken up early and ready to start working like a responsible man he was set to grow up as, his grin fell when he saw that the pub allowed horses in the building. He and Jean had been glaring at each other through the entire time and made it a competition to be the best so they would get the job. The other poor students who were also trying to get a job there had no chance against the two boys.

 

This resulted in them _both_ getting the job and _both_ whining about it.

Damn it.

“You better behave, boys. I only need staff in the kitchen; I’ve already got too many people employed to clean this place and now every corner shines like a maiden’s shaved butt cheek,” he said and Jean and Eren looked at each other. They made a silent agreement to try not to fight too much, at least not in front of Mr. Blouse, Hugo or Bernard.

“I’m telling you, behave,” Hugo said as he dropped the tray harshly in Jean’s arms and left the room with a glare. The taller rolled his eyes as he set it down by the already huge pile of dishes to clean. Jean went back to scrub frantically at the pan again, trying to get off whatever shit the cook had fried.

As mentioned Eren was assigned cleaning dishes as first but when he ended up being terrible at it, dropping plates everywhere, crushing them while rubbing them too hard with a cloth, he was on the verge at being thrown out at one point. One day when the chef was late to work Eren was ordered to prepare the potatoes and the dough for the bread and the cook was surprised at the child, praising him to Mr. Blouse. Now Eren got to bake, prepare and even sometimes cook some dishes as the chef’s assistant or “little bitch” as Jean called it.

The chef was a heavily built man called Bernard and was usually pretty cheerful. Jean was mostly stuck with Hugo which was one of the waiters, together with Amanda and Emelie. The girls were two, very good looking and big-breasted ladies that brought a lot of customers to the place. They were both very nice and openly flirted with both boys whenever they got the chance, teasing them about everything.

The teasing had mildly slowed down when Eren actually ended up with his hands under Emelie’s skirt after a spring festival. Jean was too drunk to remember but Eren was very sure he were eating Amanda’s face by the camp fire as Eren sneaked away with Emelie.

Both ladies were at least 5 years older than the boys and after working with them for more than one and a half year now, it had led them all in a friendly, almost sibling-like relationship.

Eren still hated Jean though. Absolutely hated him. He wasn’t like a brother to him or anything. Nope, he hated his guts.

“Eren you’re going to cut yourself soon, fucking keep that small walnut of a brain concentrated on the task,” Jean suddenly said, nudging him his elbow as he passed behind him with clean tableware. Eren looked down to see he was actually holding the knife a bit close to his middle finger and moved it before finishing chopping up the vegetable. He collected all pieces and put them in the big bowl where he had already cut the salad, cucumber and tomatoes. He shook the bowl, mixing the ingredients as he started on the dressing, drying his hands on his apron after pouring the olive oil in a new container.

They finished up fairly quickly and Jean was leaning back on the counter while Eren finished the last piece of the meat, slapping the knife down violently after moving the filé and repeating. Jean was chewing on a carrot and Eren chuckled, it was enough to make the other understand the unsaid joke.

“Oh shut up and finish already,” Jean rolled his eyes and threw the last of the ‘horse food’ into his mouth. When Eren was just ready to remove his gloves and put the meat away Hugo entered the small kitchen. It was a room connected to the actual kitchen which had an open wall where the customers could watch Bernard work. Hugo had an evil smirk on his lips and Eren groaned inwardly even before the waiter could open his mouth.

“A big group sailors is staying the night. They’re all ordering beef so y’all better start moving since Chef left,” Eren’s eyes widened and he looked desperately at Jean. They were just about to close the fucking restaurant area!

“You’re fucking staying and helping me out with the cleaning afterwards, Jaeger,” Jean threatened as Hugo escaped out the door, probably to serve the men’s drinks and keep them entertained since Amanda and Emelie both had left too. If they cooked together it would go quicker since even though Jean couldn’t cook for shit, Eren could multitask and order the other one around to do small tasks. And then Jean would be assigned to do the dishes and if Eren helped him they could finish even faster and just go home.

After a long night and Eren rubbing his neck and whimpering when he both heard and felt it snap. It was way over midnight as the loud sailors finally had made their way up stairs to the rooms. They were probably pirates, Eren thought as he looked at them while he had stood in chef’s kitchen, preparing their food.

From day 1 Eren had seen a lot of pirates and bandits as the place and soon he learned that Potato, the boar was actually a little bit of a warning that the people in the village and the tavern were not to fuck with. There were fights a little bit of every now and then but the latest one had involved gunfire, but after only one bullet had gone off and hit a glass of beer Mr. Blouse together with Hugo (who was then clutching a heavy gun in his hands) came roaring from the personnel’s room, throwing out the drunk pirate which had made the move. There were fist fights between pirates, sailors and even regulars every now and then but as long as they didn’t brake anything or bothered the other guests it was accepted, there was even a fucking embroidered sign made by Mrs. Blouse that stated those rules, small flowers around it.

Eren had fought with Jean a few times but thankfully never at work. They had pushed and provoked each other until the other was boiling but because they were constantly interrupted by Hugo, Amanda or Emelie, a lost guest or even Mr. Blouse himself it never got to stage of serious.

The best Eren had done at work was throw a punch at Jean’s face. Or well, he had tried to but that second Mr. Blouse had entered the small kitchen, staring at them. Eren stopped in his movement and instead opened his fist and he resulted in pretty much slapping Jean gently instead, keeping his hand there and uhm… this must look awkward…

“What you two do together is your own business and I’m not here to judge, boys, but I want you working when you’re supposed to work,” was all he said before he explained the new rules about the monthly payment. Both Eren and Jean had been blushing heavily while he so casually changed the subject, Eren slowly dropping his hand from Jean’s cheek.

They didn’t talk about it when their boss left and just coughed awkwardly, forgetting what they were fighting over in the first place.

“Aw, shit I’m tired,” Jean said as they left. They had finally closed the place that night, locking the doors to the restaurant after a small talk with Hugo who promised he would write a note that the boys had worked extra hours. Eren waited for Jean by the entry while the other went to leave the key in the office and they walked together in the quiet night.

Eren had a curfew of 10 and even though the orphanage knew of his work they couldn’t make the guard work longer hours so Eren ended up locked out a lot of nights when he was working late. He was always welcomed at Jean’s house and the other boy didn’t even comment on it while they walked together to the Kirschstein’s house.

There were sounds of crickets and crows cawing in the night, it was quite peaceful. They crossed the Rose Garden and took the quickest trip through the smaller alleys. Eren wasn’t scared of the dark but he wouldn’t have taken this route if he had been walking alone to Jean’s house in the middle of the night. He had a feeling Jean usually didn’t either. But being two it felt less scary when they stumbled into the darkest alley they had to pass, there was barely any light reaching them here and Jean cursed as he almost stepped on a cat which jumped in front of him.

Eren snickered behind him and just pushed by Jean when the taller turned to glare.

They entered the house, sneaking into Jean’s window since they didn’t want to wake the rest of the house, especially not Jean’s little sister who would still start shouting in the middle of night at the smallest noise.

Eren removed his pants and shirt, pushing Jean aside when the other stripped in front of the wardrobe. Eren grabbed a random shirt, feeling no buttons and put it on, making his way up the small latter to the bed above Jean’s. It was fastened to the wall and was about half the size of Jean’s double bed below but there was no way they were going to share that.

The brown haired boy borrowed clothes from the other all the time and it wasn’t something that seemed to bother Jean, so he had kept at it since there was no way he was sleeping in his working clothes but neither naked in just underwear. Mrs. Kirschstein had a tendency to wake the boys up and since Eren was apparently practicing martial arts in his sleep he would end up in the weirdest sleeping positions. He didn’t want his ‘extra mother’ as she was sometimes referred to, to find him lying openly on the covers, sporting a morning wood and showing himself to the world.

Jean slapped Eren’s ankle when he climbed up the latter before closing the wardrobe, having changed himself and dropping to his bed. The slap was a goodnight and Eren hummed in response before it went silent and dark as Jean turned the switch.


	5. The sailor's daughter

”Really? You think you guys can get it?” Connie asked, his face full of excitement as he jumped down from the fence to snatch an apple from the tree Sasha and Annie were sitting under. Eren grinned, swatting his arm in the air.

“Psh! Of course we can, no problem!” he answered cockily and Jean chuckled beside him.

”If Jaeger here doesn’t fuck shit up like he usually does it shouldn’t be a problem. Pixis wouldn’t notice a thing,” he said and threw the remains of his apple behind him, making it land somewhere in the cornfield.

“Okay then, I guess we have a plan set, gentlemen and ladies. We’ll meat up behind my house at 10, okay? I’ll bring my lantern and you bring two, Armin?” Connie said after jumping up onto the fence again, running a hand over his head. Armin nodded in reply and sighed as Mikasa nearly stared him to death beside her. Eren noticed and scratched the back of his neck.

“It’ll be fine, Mikasa. I’m sorry you can’t come but you don’t have to watch over us all the time,” he said, speaking a bit lower so only she and Armin, maybe Jean heard. Connie was already speaking loudly about how Sasha almost shat her pants the last time they had a ghost-story-telling night. Mikasa didn’t reply and didn’t meet her brother’s gaze and Eren groaned, rolling his eyes.

Whatever, she could be pissed all she wanted.

When the three children had moved into the orphanage they had started attending the town’s school just a week after. There they had met Connie who was a cheerful, bald guy about Armin’s height. Connie was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Springer who owned a big part of the woods behind the east part of town. They were the number one provider of wood and building material in town and Eren sometimes got to drag the old tumbrel there together with Marco to collect the logs.

Sasha was in the package of getting to know Connie, she was his best friend and the two stuck together all the time. Eren had been teasing Connie and Sasha that the two were together but both had just shrugged and not picked up on the teasing at all and Eren earned a cocky “I told you” form Jean. Sasha was cheerful and sometimes a bit clumsy, which Eren could relate to but she was way obsessed with food. Almost at all times she had something edible in her hand or she was chewing on her fingernails all the time. She did however never seem to gain weight, probably because of her hard working at the field. While she was the daughter of Mrs. and Mr. Blouse (who owned the tavern) she often helped an old lady who owned the corn fields, someone Eren always forgot the name of.

Maybe Mrs. Corn.

Yeah.

Apparently the old lady made the best cookies and Sasha would receive them as extra payment after especially hard shifts where she cleaned the barn, the stalls or fixed with the flowers the old lady had. She was clearly too old to take care of her huge property but sometimes all the kids would visit her to help out and in exchange get to ride the horses she owned.

Sasha would often come down from her room in the tavern and visit Jean and Eren when they worked. As they grew older and got closer friends with Connie, Sasha started to hang around too. Eren and Jean would watch her as two eagles whenever she slipped into the kitchen, making sure she didn’t take anything.

Eren had caught her once when she was going to make a run for the exit, having grabbed a big loaf Eren had just finished and he wrestled her to the floor, sitting on her back and holding up the bread in victory. And of course Mr. Blouse had walked in just then. I’ll let you imagine the outcome of that situation.

Annie was another girl from Shiganshina that successfully escaped. Her and her father had made it and with the money her father had brought they could buy an apartment in the smaller part of town and even though Eren didn’t talk much with her Annie seemed to click with Mikasa.

The blond was usually silent apart from when she let out a snarky comment every now and then, even getting in a fight with Eren once. They got pulled apart before it got serious and even though Eren hated to admit it, it had been obvious who was winning out of the two.

Marco was the cheery, often oblivious part of their group. He always looked on the bright side and complimented his friends but was never being able to accept any about himself. Armin and Marco shared an interest in school, ‘those nerds’, and had quickly grown close to each other.

Eren had however noticed how possessive Jean was over the freckled, dark haired boy as Eren had teased Marco and Armin about studying too much and “not having any lives” and the next second he was met with a fist to his stomach. It resulted in a fight between the two, this time Eren winning as he pushed Jean to the floor, demanding to know what the fuck was wrong with the other.

“Don’t pick on Mar- them!” He had gotten as a reply and since that day Eren had changed direction of his teasing of Sasha and Connie to Jean and Marco. Eren knew Jean had a thing for his sister though, so his jokes often backfired and he slowly gave that up too. It was hilarious however to say something subliminal and have Jean blushing like mad while Marco just continued asking about it, being the oblivious person he was.

There was Mina and Thomas too which always seemed to stick together too, they weren’t in the same school as the other and just visited sometimes since Mina’s grandmother was close friends with Connie’s.

They were all around 17 now and just 7 years ago Mikasa had been adopted by the priest in town. Eren had insisted that she went with them and that they would still see each other all the time. They were just 10 years old when Armin started to plan how they would make it when they were legal and kicked out from the orphanage. After a lot of convincing Mikasa went with the priest and his wife and she suddenly didn’t meet Eren as much anymore, naturally, but since they went to the same school and met afterwards it was mostly fine.

Since Eren and Mikasa weren’t biology related, which was quite visible, and didn’t share the same last name as Eren, the family was not required to take in Eren too. But Eren knew that if they asked him because Mikasa or Mr. Zackly demanded that Eren should go with her he would have declined. He had Armin to look after and Mikasa knew that.

Mikasa was independent while Armin was not close to it. The blond had actually cried to Eren the night after Mikasa had left, telling him to go with his sister and that he would be fine on his own. Eren had laughed and stayed up with Armin all night, talking about everything and nothing but not touching the subject again.

It was a 10 minute walk to Mikasa’s house, beside the church and graveyard and Eren and the others would either come pick her up on the weekends or meet her at Jean’s house which had become their usual meet up place if they all were going to go do something. Second was the Rose Garden, the garden for short, or “Gardy” as Connie and Eren tried calling it. It didn’t happen. The garden however was usually filled with a lot of people and the group of teenagers met up a little bit everywhere nowadays.

“Well,” Connie said after an hour or two and coughed, “we should leave now to start on the barn, Sasha. We’ll see you guys tonight!” He said, waving his hand in the air while walking the road towards the barn, Sasha following him to jump up on his back, giggling loudly. Jean rolled his eyes and stood up from where he had been lying in the grass, dusting off his pants.

“I’m gonna leave too, see you guys,” he said and left, a straw in his mouth and hands hidden in pockets.

“Such a wannabe vagabond,” Eren whispered, Armin rolling his eyes.

Eren stayed a bit with Armin, Mikasa, Annie and Marco and they talked about the new family that had moved in beside Annie. Apparently they were obnoxious, overly joyful and loud, as said by Annie. Eren scoffed because that was probably a big exaggeration considering Annie was the opposite of that description. Mikasa agreed with the blond, however.

“It’s true though, they go to the church almost every morning and mom has to wake up earlier than ever to just open the doors. She’s honestly thinking about giving them an extra key,” she said, rolling an apple around in her hands.

“Tell me about it, they wake the entire house when they leave. I always wake early, so for me to say they’re fucking early means they’re _really_ fucking early,” Annie groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. Armin chuckled and tossed a small stone on Eren’s shoulder, earning one on his arm in return. Eren laughed when Mikasa and Annie groaned in union about something the new family did and he laid down in the grass, enjoying the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. It was a nice day for April.

 

\-------

Jean and Eren had entered the store when it was near closing hours, they swiftly moved around and peeked at Pixis behind the counter every now and then. The man had his chin in his hand, a glass of probably whisky by the desk and a book beside it, reading quietly.

Jean caught Eren’s attention and pointed, mouthing “NOW” and Eren looked over the stand of different paper-types. He tip-toed over to where Pixis was sitting and slowly lifted his arm for one of the dark bottles on one of the higher shelves. He caught it and slowly lowered his arm, keeping his wide eyes on the man the entire time. The man seemed completely buried in his book and Eren could basically hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

He brought it down and side-stepped back to the shelves with envelopes and note-books. He pressed the bottle to the inside of his jacket and was just going to make a run for it, Jean standing by the door.

“Aren’t you boys forgetting something?” Pixis asked, his voice breaking the silence. Or the illusion of the silence as Jean and Eren were probably making quite some noise.

Damn it, he wasn’t drunk enough!

“Hehehe,” Eren tried, scratching the back of his head while holding the bottle hidden by the fabric, however it was very obvious he was holding something there. “What would that be, Mr. Pixis?”

“Well, usually my customers pay for what they buy. If you’re not going to do that I’m afraid I’m going to have to let Mr. Kirschstein and Mr. Zackly know that their boys are-“ before he finished the sentence Jean had scurried over to the counter and threw a gold coin on the counter, grabbing a small beer sausage by the counter, which was clearly worth less than a gold coin.

“Keep the change, thank you!” Jean hurried and they both stumbled outside, the door closing behind them. Pixis sighed at the counter, placing the money in the cashier and chuckled.

“Kids these days, have to make everything so complicated.”

On the outside, now meters from the store Eren and Jean jogged side by side and stopped in an alley staring at each other.

“Did we seriously just get a dealer?” Eren asked and Jean slapped his shoulder, earning a “hey” in return. Eren took out the bottle and handed it to Jean who read on the label.

“Freiheit, that’s good,” he said and went to pocket the sausage but Eren was quicker and snatched the snack. He stuck it between his teeth and grinned at the other who rolled his eyes.

“You’re paying next time, Jaeger,” he said as he followed Eren towards Connie’s house.

When they got there they were a bit early and Eren sat on a pile of logs behind the house while Jean peaked into a window.

“Yeah, they’re eating. Sasha’s here too,” he said and turned to Eren, strolling around the place with his hands in his pockets. They saw a light coming from the right and soon Armin and Marco stepped out between two trees with two lanterns in each hands. Armin carefully put his down on the grass and sat beside Eren, smiling at him while Marco walked up to Jean. Eren, recognized the face his friend was doing, he chuckled and put an arm around Armin’s shoulders.

“Relax, Armin. It is going to be fun, I promise,” he said but Armin just looked more terrified after Eren’s sentence. The brown haired frowned but before he could ask Armin, Connie jumped out from the window with Sasha in tow, signing for them to be quiet.

“Is everyone here?” the bald whispered and looked around.

“We’re just waiting for Annie, she-“Jean started but was interrupted by Annie rounding the corner. A short “here,” made everyone aware of her presence.

“Great! Then let’s leave before my parents notice me and Sasha are gone. I couldn’t get the lantern without my father noticing me so two will have to do,” he said, nodding Armin’s and Marco’s ways. He held two logs, Sasha holding paper and what looked like a box of matches.

They made their way through the woods, Connie walking first with a lantern, Sasha after carrying the logs and the tools necessary to start a fire. Then Jean followed, Marco after, Armin with his lantern and Eren with Annie behind him. When they reached the fireplace, basically in the middle of the woods, Connie crouched in front of the circle of stones and started creating the fire with the help from Sasha. Eren sat down beside Armin who held the lantern close to him, looking around the place into the dark woods every now and then.

“Why are you so scared? This isn’t the first time we’ve done this,” Eren said and opened the cap of the bottle he had been carrying. Armin shrugged in reply and gulped down some of the content after Eren took a swig. The shorter boy made a face before he passed it to Marco next to him. After a few 10 minutes or so they had a fire going strong and both lanterns were turned off to save oil. The bottle had went around the circle and Eren placed it between his feet to keep it from falling, there wasn’t much left. Annie pulled up two flat bottles with a yellow content in each, sending them around.

“How did it go with Pixis?” Connie asked, swigging some of the liquid. Jean and Eren looked at each other, Eren biting his lip.

“Well he wasn’t asleep or that drunk so when we were just about to leave he asked for money… pretty much. I don’t think he’s gonna tell on us, Pixis doesn’t seem like that kind of-“

“Yeah well, he told on me and Marco that time though. So I wouldn’t be so sure,” Jean interrupted him. He dragged his hands over his face and head, groaning.

“Man, if they find out again my dad is so going to kill me.”

“Or Pixis won’t tell on us and we now have a place to get alcohol from,” Eren said, shrugging. The bottle was in his hand and that resulted in Eren drinking a little bit now and then before he caught himself and gave the bottle to Armin. He was already feeling mildly tipsy from whatever strong shit Pixis had. All it said was Freiheit on the bottle and some gibberish in another language, not German though.

“So, anyone got a good horror story? Some gossip?” Connie started, sitting with his shoulder pressed to Sasha’s, either for warmth or just closure. Like Eren said, they stuck to each other all the time, literally.

“Oh, I got one!” Sasha exclaimed and grinned. Jean scoffed and earned a glare from the girl in return.

“So this was in one of the books in our attic, it was pretty old and I’m gonna make some up since I don’t remember all the words. But since its old you might not know it.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Marco said, smiling as he clutched one of Annie’s bottles.

“Okay, so once up on a time,” Sasha started and ignore Jean’s second groan.  
“- there was a little girl, her name was… Mikasa!”

“Oh, come on!” and “Are you fucking serious?” Eren and Jean exclaimed at the same time, Eren then shooting glares at the other boy.

“She’s not here so it doesn’t matter, now shut up! So _Mikasa_ was at home with her family and they told her she had to go to buy food at the store. They were going to make liver stew that night,” and almost everyone made a face around the fire, “and so Mikasa got two silver coins from her mother, telling her exactly what the girl should buy. Mikasa happily made her way to the store and entered it. But when she saw all the candy she couldn’t resist. So she bought candy for all the money she had received from her mother instead of buying a liver.”

“This is so not something Mikasa would do.”

“Shut up. When Mikasa was making her way home she realized that her mother would be very mad with her and Mikasa sat on the street crying. What should she do? And then she remembered that their old lady was laying in the attic, in her coffin. Apparently this is what you did with bodies long ago, I don’t know,” Sasha shrugged.

Eren physically facepalmed and Armin giggled beside him.

“So Mikasa sneaked up to the attic and carefully she lifted the coffin, staring at her grandmother. Carefully she grabbed the knife she had snatched from the kitchen and cut out the liver-

“this is so disturbing, Sasha,” Armin said while Connie snickered.

“- and she carefully closed the lid. She sneaked down stairs and gave the liver to her mother. They ate their meals that evening and Mikasa didn’t dare to taste the food since she knew it was her grandmother they were eating. But then her father got mad and Mikasa had to eat the food.”

“Nice,” Connie nodded and Jean groaned.

“Later that night when Mikasa was going to bed she thought she heard a door open, she peeked over the blankets but her room was dark. Then she heard a familiar voice, far away saying:

‘I’m in the attic, I’m in the attic, give back my liver, give back my liver’ and Mikasa was so scared. Then she heard the same voice, now closer:

‘I’m in the hallway, I’m in the hallway, give back my liver, give back my liver’ and then she heard footsteps outside of her door that then stopped. Then the same voice said:

‘I’m at your door, I’m at your door, give back my liver, give back my liver’ and then Mikasa hid hear face under the covers. She heard the door open but she didn’t dare to look, then she heard:

‘I’m by your bed, I’m by your bed, give back my liver, give back my liver’ and then-“ Sasha stopped, her hands held high while she looked around the group. No one looked even near scared and Sasha let her hands fall, groaning.

“You’re no fun, not even Armin is scared,” she said and Armin gave her an apologizing smile.

“But now I’m curious, what happened?” Marco asked and Sasha shrugged.

“Ask Mikasa,” she said and a laughter broke out, even Annie chuckling.

“Seriously, no one got a good one? Armin?” Jean asked, reaching over to the blond to smack his leg. Armin scratched his neck and blushed a bit. Eren suddenly lit up.

“Hey, Armin, tell us that story you told us when we were younger. I think a guest at the tavern told you,” Eren said, pointing his finger at his friend and Armin’s face lit up.

“Oh yeah, the weird teen with an eye patch. Seriously, it was scary as shit,” Armin said, turning to the others, Connie nodding his head eagerly.

“Okay, here we go, I’m gonna tell this like it’s me talking but it’s not so don’t freak out guys,” the blond said, chuckling slightly.

“So, when I was a child I lived in a two-floor house a little bit outside of town. Both my parents worked so I was often alone when I came home from school.” Eren shivered, having already heard this story more than once it still got to him.

“One early evening when I came home the house was still dark. I called out, ‘Mom?’ and heard a voice say ‘Yeeeees?’ from upstairs.

I called my mom again, and got the same ‘Yeeeeees?’ reply. I climbed up the stairs and when I reached the first floor I called her once more and the voice ‘Yeeeeees?’ came from the furthest room.

I felt both uneasy, but felt a strong urge to see my mother, and started to walk towards the room.

But just as I was about to open the door into the room I heard the front door downstairs open and someone entering, carrying a lot of bags.

‘Sweetie, are you home?’ my mother called in a cheery voice. Hearing her voice made me feel instantly better and I turned back to go downstairs at once… but not before I had a quick glance towards the room,” Armin spoke with a slow voice, his eyes scanning the faces around the fire. Sasha was holding Connie’s arm in a firm grip, Jean’s eyes were as big as apples and even Annie seemed to have her attention on the story.

“While I watched from the top of the stairs, the door to the room slowly opened a crack,” Armin continued and a high-pitched squeal escaped Sasha’s lips.

“For a brief moment, I saw something strange in there. Long, bony fingers which were twitching and a pale, white face, staring right at me,” Armin finished, biting his lip.

There was a sudden sound of a stick crackling behind Jean and Marco and both boys turned instantly, staring behind them.

“Fuck me, that was scary, Armin,” Connie said, staring at the blond boy who seemed unmoved by the story, almost giggling a little at how scared everyone was. Eren jumped a little closer to his friend, receiving a knowing smirk from the blond.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Seriously, the alcohol is making me more jumpy than the opposite,” Jean said, looking at the bottle as Marco still stared behind them, looking for whatever made the noise.

“No, this is fun, someone’s got a real story though? When you tell a story saying ‘I’ or ‘me’ it’s really cool. Right?” Eren asked, looking around. He noticed Sasha sneaking her hand into her jacket and pick something out and slowly put it in her mouth. He rolled his eyes and looked at Marco when the boy spoke up.

“Well, there was this really weird thing that happened to me once. I was assigned to clean the shed out in the yard, behind the orphanage and it was Mr. Zackly who personally told me to. It was weird but I didn’t think about it much so I made my way there and it was a cloudy day, I remember, and just before dinner so it was a bit dark outside. I went up to the shed and opened the door, looking around. It was very dusty and pretty disgusting, mind you all. I started to move all the tools outside, shovels, pitchforks and other weird stuff like two old metal headboards and a pair of mirrors. Then when I got this bunch of planks outside I went inside again and saw that there had been another mirror behind the boards, it was actually quite pretty but then my body froze,” Marco said and Eren almost wanted to laugh at Jean’s expression, the guy had been about to take a drink of the bottle but had stopped mid-way to pay attention to his friend. He had the bottle almost on his lips, mouth open and head tilted upwards but eyes on Marco beside him, frozen in place.

“-and there in the mirror I saw someone behind me. The person had glasses and pretty messy hair, I’m sure it was an old lady because when I turned she ran outside the shed and she was wearing a long skirt. She had been standing there the entire time, I’m sure of it! Leaning against the wall by the door and I hadn’t even noticed her. Her clothes were fairly dirty and she ran into the woods when I exited the shed,” Marco said, rubbing his hands together and staring at the ground.

“I told Mr. Zackly about it and he was sure they would search for the old lady and warn her about trespassing. I don’t think he actually believed me but I’m sure I saw her. I feel kind of bad though, she looked really messed up. I wondered what happened to her,” Marco said before getting quiet. A thick silence spread over the teens before Jean sighed, slapping a hand on Marco’s leg.

“Only you can feel sorry about the scary ghosts,” he said and Armin giggled together with Sasha.

“I have a story,” Annie suddenly said and everybody looked her way. She was usually quiet when they had these meet-ups, sometimes not even showing up, so for her to volunteer to tell a story was different, which showed on some of the boy’s faces. It might be because she was one year older than Eren and the gang but then again Marco was two years older. That put Connie and Sasha at one year below Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Jean but since their school added the two years together it didn’t feel like a difference.

“Go for it,” Sasha said and even though she was smiling to give Annie her support she tightened her grip on Connie who made a pained expression, then slapping his friend lightly. Eren noticed that one of the bottles Annie had kept for herself was nearly empty and he wondered if she was suddenly going to spill something personal she would later regret. But what the hell, he thought and gulped down some of the orange liquid that was passed around the group again.

“This is a true story and it happened to me… only about 10 years ago. I was 8 and I asked if I could to come along with Krista and her father’s ship. They were going to leave for some business transaction to Shina and I… I wanted to get away for a while I guess.”

Armin nudged Eren beside him and he looked at the other, Armin’s expression said ‘remember?’ and Eren looked at him, clueless.

“I’m sure you remember It, Armin. I was gone from school a week and well, not many of you might remember Krista. Her father lives in Shina and would sometimes travel here and bring her along and I got the chance to come with them once,” Annie said, her voice low as she stared down into her bottle or on something on the ground.

“We were playing by the beach close to the port pretty much, Krista looks a bit like me, only shorter and with longer hair, and a happy face all the time I guess,” she added and Armin nodded.

“So we were playing there, not bothering to keep track of where we went. After following the beach we found this old jetty near the forest so we had to climb up on these rocks to get there. I remember we were jumping between the rocks when suddenly Krista grabbed my hand, her face staring at something. I looked the way and I saw there was a lady swimming in the water, she had brown long hair and she was very… elegant, I guess you could say.

Krista immediately yelled for the woman and waved. The woman waved back slightly, smiling and went up to us. She leaned on the jetty with her arms under her head. I know I wondered why she didn’t come out of the water but I guess I just dismissed it back then, maybe she was swimming naked, I don’t remember.”

Eren felt like either him or Connie, maybe even Sasha would have cat whistled at that point but realized they were all too caught up in the serious story, nor did they lack the brain cells to know Annie would be shit mad for the interruption.

“Krista was walking up to her,” Annie continued, “talking about how it was dangerous to swim in the water or something and I remember I got this really bad feeling… like something was clearly wrong. So I told Krista that we should leave, that we should go find her father again but just as I spoke the woman looked at me, her eyes angry. And then-“ Annie’s voice broke and she pressed her lips shut. Eren thought for a second the hard-skinned girl was going to cry. But instead Annie clenched the fist that was not holding the bottle.

“-and she pulled her down. It happened so fast but I remember a hand coming up to grab Krista’s ankle and pull and she fell backwards, her head hitting the wood of the jetty and I’m sure … I-I heard a crack. Then she was pulled into the water, a big splash as she went under. I didn’t dare to go forwards to look over the edge, I was sure the lady was going to pull me down too. So instead I ran backwards to the cliffs and screamed for help, her father and some other men came running and I remember I cried so much, telling them Krista had fallen into the water. Even then I knew they wouldn’t believe me so I said she fell, hit her head and they started asking me why I didn’t pull her up or anything. The men were down in the water, Krista’s father swimming out and underneath and I was so scared. I told them I was afraid of water and they bought it and… I still have no idea what happened that day,” Annie said, finishing her story, her voice cold.

Eren inhaled and stared into the fire. He remembered Krista briefly, having seen her with Annie once, maybe twice and he was sure Armin did too because he was holding a hand over his mouth, looking quite shocked.

“Wow, I…I’m so sorry, Annie,” Connie whispered, looking at her. She shrugged in reply and gulped down the rest of her drink.

“I don’t care if you think I’m crazy, I’m sure of what I saw,” she said and Eren felt himself nod.

“We believe you Annie, jeez, what a horrible story. Any ideas of what it was?” The freckled boy asked, scratching his cheek.

Then she looked up, staring him right in the eyes.

“I have no idea. But it was not a human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is going to bed alone soon, check this picture out! It's the 'monster' from Armin's story: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100819195855/creepypasta/images/thumb/6/6e/1282245134281.jpg/250px-1282245134281.jpg


	6. But the net is not ours

”Maybe we should go look for one? We could go take check by the big lake.”

Of course it had to be fucking Jean. 

The fucker.

“I’ve heard of sirens mentioned in old books, like these ladies who swim naked in the seas, lying on cliffs and showing off their legs to sailors and then sing really high and pull them in,” Connie said and Sasha nodded, reminding him of that book the two apparently read.

“No but, seriously guys. There have been a lot of deaths lately of people drowning and falling out of boats around here. Or ‘caught by sharks’ as some even say. Maybe there are some sort of, I don’t know, cannibals living around here,” Jean continued and Armin clapped his heels together, creating a small beat. 

“Are you fucking serious, Jean? Cannibals? I wouldn’t say I believe in the supernatural but that makes more sense than cannibals snatching people in the lake,” Eren said, groaning. 

“But guys, what if it’s some sort of monster, like, maybe we could catch it. I know the best place! You know that old boat house behind the wheat field? It’s like hidden from the forest so you only ever see it when you go by boat along the small path. We could go there, just for fun, and look for anything in the water,” Sasha said, smiling slightly. 

“I mean we probably won’t catch anything,” she added, looking at Annie as to make sure the other one wasn’t against it. But Annie just shrugged, looking rather bored again.

“I think it’s a good idea, yeah, let’s go do that,” Connie said, standing up and going for the lanterns. 

“Everybody in?” Marco asked, standing up and dusting off his pants. Everyone stood or nodded expect for Eren and he just rolled his eyes. He didn’t really feel like going there, it was kind of far and honestly? It was pretty scary. He had never went into the house but he had seen it when he went by with a boat or just the roof of it from the beach. He felt a little uneasy but watched as Armin went to fetch his lantern, now turned on and shining bright. 

It couldn’t be that bad, he thought. 

The teenagers made their way to the lake, taking the path by the woods so they wouldn’t just wander around in town and get caught and scolded by their parents and guardians later. Not that many people were up by now, taking strolls around town but people inside might get woken by the light. 

They had to walk through the wheat field and Eren had to hold the lantern quite high, walking with Annie behind him again and Jean taking the lead with the other lantern. Sasha and Armin were speaking quietly about demons, Eren picked up when he listened but he still couldn’t shake off the weird feeling, looking behind him all the time. Annie started giving him weird looks and he played it off for the fifth time by asking her if she was okay. She just nodded and Eren felt quite bad, he wouldn’t have bothered to ask if he hadn’t felt so uneasy himself. The hundredth shiver made its way down his spine and tingled in his toes. 

They entered a small forest part and since the boat house was abandoned, so was the pathway to the entry. Eren cursed as a bush ripped on his feet rather harsh and he heard Connie hiss at a bush in front of him too, after the narrow path they made it to the house. Jean held up the lantern for Marco to take while he fiddled with the lock. There was a rusty old chain holding the handles together and with a light tug the lock fell to the ground. 

“This is actually a bit scary,” Sasha mumbles and Marco makes an agreeing noise. Jean pull on the door, holding it up as Marco is first to walk inside. 

“Honestly, I’m more scared of monsters on land that in water, look at this place!” Connie exclaims, Marco holding his lantern high inside, everyone looking around in silence. 

The floor was actually quite sturdy and didn’t creak much at all when they walked over it. There was no boat in the house, only the sound of water around and under them. It was quite big and while the wood was originally painted white on the outside, not much of it left and most scraped off and washed away by rain, it wasn’t painted on the inside. 

It was fairly far down to the water and Eren guessed it was built when the water level was higher or it was simply made for a high boat. Then again the actual boat house looked like a fisherman’s place, there were rows on the walls, nets, hooks, rusty devices Eren had no idea what they were made for. It had to be at least 2 meters down to the water surface, Eren thought as he held out his lantern over the edge. 

He watched as Armin and Annie were observing all the tools on the walls, Marco was fiddling with a lamp or something together with Jean, his lantern now off. There was a rope or cord of some sort and at the end there was a bulb attached, protected by a small metal cage. 

Sasha and Connie were looking down at the black water together with Eren. 

“Scary,” Sasha whispered, dragging out the word. 

“Guys, let’s be quiet. We’re gonna lower the lamp into the water and see if we can spot any fishes. Me and my dad used to do this sometimes when I was smaller at Fred’s boat house by the port. It’s actually really cool and this lamp is actually still working,” Jean said, whispering so quietly it was hard for Eren to even pick up but he nodded none the less. 

The lamp had been turned on and Marco held the long cord while Jean slowly lowered the shining lamp down into the water. They were all tense, some imagining a brown-haired, naked lady lying in the water staring at them, who would try to lure them down. Eren and Annie imagined a dead body, Eren’s mind could help but to picture a gaping, dead Krista floating on the surface. 

He could feel his fingers twitching. What if something was down there, what would they do? Would they try to kill it with a paddle, scare it away, sneak out and call the rest of the village or just scream?

The lamp hit the surface and the environment around the bottom of the lake was lit up and put into view. Eren sighed. 

“Oh, but look, there’s a fish!” Sasha exclaimed and pointed at a grey fish swimming on the spot, probably sleeping and Connie chuckled. 

“I was honestly expecting something,” he said and sat down on the edge, Eren joining him. 

It certainly had been a big anti-climax. 

Eren didn’t know what he was expecting but when there was nothing there he felt a bit bummed out. Armin and Marco had started talking about fish-species, trying to determine what it was and from there they didn’t mention more of Annie’s story that night. As they pulled the light up, turned it off and left the house the main topic was the horses at the barn. Connie bragged he clearly was the best rider out of them, laughing at Sasha’s loud “What?”

“I’m the best at horse riding guys, and we all know it,” Jean said, grinning as he closed the doors to the boat house after Annie was exiting last. She rolled her eyes and caught up with Armin who carried one of the lanterns. 

“Oh, I don’t know, you might be the one being ridden on,” Connie said and Sasha giggled. 

“Yeah, with Marco riding you I’m sure you two would be the fastest,” Eren said and Connie almost doubled over, laughing so hard. He heard Marco chuckle and saw his face grow red. Jean’s face was also red but so was his eyes, staring right at Eren. 

“Jaeger!” 

 

***-***-***

 

Jean came up to Eren while he was working and Jean was just about to leave the place, he knocked on the wall and Eren turned his way. 

“What?”

Jean bit his lip, looking down and furrowing his eyebrows. 

“You heard about the man that died yesterday? Apparently he was out with his boat and a woman that was eating breakfast here said she saw him fall into the water. Rumors are spreading around town about these siren things Connie was speaking about, monsters and all kinds of stuff,” he said and Eren nodded, rolling the dough in front of him. 

“I mean it’s getting a little weird, what if Annie’s story is actually true?” Jean asked, looking up. Eren shrugged, his face now also sporting a troubled expression. 

“I don’t know, I don’t feel like Annie would have made that up last week, she’s not the person you would think would believe in monsters and such. I bet she’s thought a lot about that day, like her entire life since.” Jean nodded, moving around the menus on the table in front of him. 

“Yeah, well, I got to go now,” Jean said after a moment of silence, slapping the top menu down on the rest and giving Eren a quick wave, the serious topic over. 

Under his entire shift from early lunch to dinner Eren actually heard a lot of people talking about the man. He asked one customer about it and the man was happy to tell Eren and he almost sat down beside the people at their table. His name had been Jakob and he hadn’t been that old, around his 40s and the woman who saw it had told them that he had been staring down the water for a while before just ‘sliding over the edge’. 

Eren had witnessed at least five ‘Cheers for Jakob’ from people who the dead man might or might not even have known. That’s a middle-sized town like Trost for you, people only turning their heads to strangers when something really serious happened. 

But it was still nice, giving a thought to the dead man. Eren wondered what had happened to him.

What had the man seen in the water?

Just about another week later Armin walked teary eyed into his, Eren’s and Marco’s room, sobbing loudly and catching both men’s attention. Both had been resting on their beds reading their homework, Eren sometimes asking Marco about something he didn’t understand. 

“Mina is gone. She’s been gone for three days now a-and…. and,” Armin cried and Eren stood up immediately, catching his friend. He pushed Armin down on his bed and sat beside him, holding two arms around him. Marco sat by the foot of his bed, a hand on Armin’s knee. 

“What happened, Armin? Is Mina okay?” Marco asked, looking at the other and breathing heavily. 

“T-they found her jacket and clothes this morning by the small beach near Mr. Worth’s house. They were placed… folded and neatly so everyone thinks it’s a suicide message, that Mina would take her l-life. But that’s not something that Mina would do, right?” Armin almost yelled out at Marco and the other boy’s eyes started running as well, his lip shivering. Eren released Armin and brought his hands over Marco’s shoulders. It was an awkward hug but Marco had been the closest with Mina of all of them, Eren hadn’t talked to her much at all. 

Frida suddenly entered the room and sat down beside Armin, holding him close. 

“Oh, boys. I’m so sorry,” she said and Eren groaned inwardly, the bed was so crowded right now. 

So just two days later, on a Friday night they found themselves gathered by the fountain on the garden. Marco was working and Sasha was grounded for some reason Connie didn’t want to talk about, but the rest of them were there. 

“You guys wanna go to the boat house again?” The person Eren least expected to ask did, Armin. 

“Well I’m not going to be able to this time either because of my curfew,” Mikasa said, shrugging and looking away. Eren looked at her, was she jealous she couldn’t come?

“I mean even if we don’t find any sirens or… anything, it’s still a nice place. Hidden, kind of secret, just watching fishes and just… talking,” Armin said and Annie nodded by his side. 

“Who knows, maybe we’ll catch something this time,” she said and Jean smiled. 

“This night, then?” 

“Dude, Sasha won’t be able to come though, she would be so pissed,” Connie said, in a very bad mood for being him. Probably because Sasha wasn’t here. 

“Connie, she’s grounded for a week,” Jean said, holding his arms up. “We can just go again after she’s free or whatever.”

“I’m in,” Annie said. Armin nodded, Jean did too and stuffed his hands in his pockets again. 

“We could honestly try to catch some fish this time. Like maybe lure some out with bread or whatever, the net looked pretty strong on the wall,” he presented his idea and Connie lit up a little. 

“It could be fun, I’m in if you bring tools for fishing, Jean.”

They decided to meet up at Jean’s place, since it was the closest to the boat house. It was May now and it took much longer before the sun was down, by 10 a clock it was almost dark and they were all gathered outside Jean’s house. Marco was there, holding a lantern as Jean jumped out his window and was the last one to join them. Armin and Eren took the lead this time, each holding a lantern. Annie and Connie were taking the middle part of their row as Marco and Jean chatted with each other at the back. 

It was a warm night and Eren listened to the birds in the trees and to the wind in the night sky. Armin interrupted him and opened a subject on school and they all fell into a comfortable silence after a while. 

Last time he walked here Eren had been slightly drunk and scared as shit, tonight we was just looking forwards to a relaxing break with his friends, maybe catching some fish to bring home to the Kirschstein’s. 

When they reached the house Eren opened the doors and made Annie hold his lantern. He went inside and looked around before he stopped in his tracks. 

There was something shining in the water, something big. It was reflecting the light their lanterns gave off and Eren gestured for the other’s to be quiet. 

Maybe it was a big steelhead!

“Jean, get the lamp in,” Eren whispered and carefully tried to lean over the edge, holding the lantern out to see into the water but it was too dark. After just a few seconds the light was turned on and slowly lowered into the water, slowly as to not scare away whatever fish was resting there. 

And they all froze. 

There, in the water, on the bottom surrounded by corals, weed and rocks was a girl lying. Her hair was kind of light blonde, red-ish, short and looked very soft in the water, the waves making it move slightly. First Eren thought she was dead, like which humans are just resting completely still under water? But she looked relaxed, her hands under her head and- was she sleeping?

“What the fuck,” Connie whispered, putting emphasis on each word. Eren looked at her, not even bothering to blush as he noticed she was naked, nothing to cover her breasts as he was in too much shock. There was something lying over her legs which reflected the light, it looked like a long skin of fins, what the hell? There were plants and corals around her body but with the light of the lamp she was clear to see for all of them. 

“What is that?” He heard Armin mumble beside him and then Eren understood. The skin of scales was actually a fish tail, a really big fish-tail connected to her body. She was half human, half fish. Her lean body was fading into small scales, barely visible and started yellow, then orange and red at the tips of her fin. It was… very beautiful, Eren had to admit, eyes staring shamefully up and down her body.

“Guys, before we wake it,” Jean suddenly whispered and Eren looked up, watching Jean point at the net. Marco carefully put the lantern down on one of the boxes on the west side of the house. Eren was on the right with Annie beside him and he carefully walked over to the boys, helping them with the net. 

What were they doing? 

Why were they going to catch that thing? 

What would they do if they caught it?

They got the big fishing net down without making much sounds and carefully Eren stepped back to his side, giving a corner to Annie. The net was now stretched out over the hole in the floor and Eren felt his heartbeat speed up. 

What were they doing?

He felt like the beating got too loud around in his ears and he watched Jean move his mouth. Eren didn’t know if he was counting down out loud or mouthing the words, but he understood;

Five. 

Four. 

Three. 

Two. 

Go. 

Eren and Annie dropped their part first, which had the stones, used as weights connected to their side and then Jean and Marco dropped theirs, both holding a rope together with Connie holding one edge. 

Eren felt himself freeze in his tracks as there was suddenly a lot of movement under the water, waves hitting the surface. 

The creature had clearly woken up and was now trashing against the net, trying to get free as Jean maneuvered the ropes and gestured for the others to do this and that, clearly experienced in fishing as his father was a fisher man. Eren had joined them for fishing a few times but patience really wasn’t his thing. 

“Connie, let your rope out a little, Annie get the paddle over there and push it in more- Marco, pull!” He ordered at them and Eren couldn’t look away from the creature. He heard a scream of some sort coming from her and when she was starting to get raised from the water it grew higher when she went over the surface. After a moment it quieted down and instead started coughing, whines escaping her. 

“Marco, come over here. Annie grab Connie’s rope and help him. We’re pulling the thing up here,” Jean called and Eren watched the scene in front of him. After a loud groan from the one’s pulling she went over the edge and was now lying on the floor with Jean and Marco at her head and Connie and Annie by her tail. She wasn’t moving as frantically anymore and seemed to be coughing and breathing heavily. Breathing?

They caught it.

They actually did it.

Eren heard a loud gasp and looked up at Armin who was kneeling by the other edge, holding the cord for the lamp out of the way. Armin’s eyes were staring towards the water at the opening from the lake and Eren was just about to turn his head when he heard a scream. 

“Eren!” 

And suddenly everything was very cold, his entire body waking up and all his senses kicking in. 

Had he fallen in? 

He had been standing close to the edge but he hadn’t fallen just like that, right? 

Eren panicked when he felt two arms roughly grab his, press them behind his back and something rough and strong holding his legs together, swirling around them. He gasped for air and felt water enter his mouth instead. He couldn’t see anything, there was a strong light in his face, probably the lamp. 

God damn it. 

Eren tried to kick, tried to move his arms and escape the hard grip whoever had on him. He could hear voices over the surface, his name being called over and over. 

Then he was above the surface again, gasping for air immediately. His arms were still held in place however, the water cold around him pain erupting his wrists were someone had a tight grip. He felt the body behind him press against him and the hands around his wrists dug even deeper, Eren coughing up water and trying to scream out in pain. 

“Let her go,” a low voice growled behind him and Eren finally understood the situation. He had been grabbed and pulled into the water, pretty much manhandled and was now probably going to get killed. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus and when they did it was such a weird perspective to watch his friends from. Armin’s eyes were wide, like everyone else’s but his hands were in his hair and it looked like he was going to rip it out. Connie had raised his hands in the air in submission while Annie, Jean and Marco still had a hold on the net. 

The girl in the net had stilled but she was turned, her hair covering one of her eyes but her gaze was on Eren. No, not on Eren, whoever was just right behind him, breathing on Eren’s nape. 

“I said, let her go,” he growled again and Eren winced when a hand sneaked up to push Eren’s chin to the side, a hot breath ghosting over his now open neck. 

“But-but the net is not ours,” Jean said slowly, as in trance, and Eren would have rolled his eyes had he not been in such a situation as this. He felt the thing grabbing his legs, probably the tail of the person behind him, tightening harder and Eren graoned. 

“How do we know you’re going to let Eren go?” Armin said, having collected himself. He was holding up his hands in surrender, just like Connie had. Connie, on the other hand had backed to the far away wall, pressed against it with his eyes wide in fear. 

Eren heard a low growl behind him and felt the hand on his jaw move to his hair, roughly pulling his hair back. Annie suddenly twitched, her expression one Eren had never seen on her face before. Then she moved and slapped the net free from Jean’s and Marco’s grips and with two hands she pushed the girl with the fishtail into the water, net and all. The hand in Eren’s hair slowly released his strands and he glanced down at the ringlets on the water, trying to make out what was happening underneath. 

It soon cleared and the girl was free from the net, the next second swimming by them quickly and outside. And Eren was now the only one threatened in the situation. 

If his heart had been beating hard when he first spotted the human with a fishtail it was beating double by now. Eren was in the claws of one, literally. 

“Please, just let him go,” Armin whispered and Eren gulped as he felt the tail around his legs shift a little. He felt another hot breath against his back as the man groaned, like he was bored. The tail unwrapped and Eren forced himself to not start kicking immediately; instead staying still as his wrists were released. When the warmth behind him disappeared Eren's breath hitched and he quickly took the decision to turn around. He didn't know why he just didn't swim for it, but somehow Eren turned around and…

and met with eyes he knew he had seen before. 

Then the man was gone and Eren heard his friends scream and scramble for him to get up. He turned in the water and saw Armin and Jean hoisting down a thick rope, hurrying for him to come over. Marco was on his stomach, holding an arm out for Eren. 

Eren came back to his senses and swam over to them , shivers crawling through his entire body, shivers probably not created from the cold water. He felt like something was going to grab at his feet any second and finally grabbed the rope, holding onto tight, his knuckles going white. He felt hands tugging on his wet jacket as he got halfway over the edge, coughing again. 

Eren rolled onto his back on the floor, arm’s stretched out around him while Armin started checking his body for wounds, clearly speaking to Eren. 

But Eren was gone, drowning in the color that is silver.


	7. Sun

”Shit, we have to get out of here,” Eren heard a voice yelling somewhere above him, the person was clearly stressed out, close to panic. It sounded like Connie. 

What happened?

“-Fuck! Did you see how high that thing jumped?” Marco cried, his voice cracking. Eren king of wanted to giggle, that was the first time he ever heard Marco swear. 

Eren blinked his eyes open, seeing movement in the corner of his eyes but his focus was upwards. The ceiling was filled with spider webs and he looked at a hatch and some sort of rope that was probably used to lift the boats up. Huh. 

“Eren, are you okay?” Annie suddenly asked by his side and he looked down and met her eyes. Why did she look so scared? What had happened?

Eren slowly sat up, feeling two hands behind his back as he rose. His knee was hurting and his right arm itching but his back was the worst. What had happened?

“Shit, Eren, you blacked out. We have to leave. It’s not safe here,” he recognized Armin’s voice, a pitch higher than usual. Images of the water, of everyone’s terrified faces came back to him. The memory of cold water around him burst through his senses and Eren felt the sudden need to cough up water from his lungs that wasn’t there. He started coughing on reflex while his friends pulled him to his feet.

“What happened?” He asked in a rough voice, staring at Jean who was standing right in front of him. Jean was staring at Eren as if he’d grown a second head, his body was sort of frozen and his mouth shut. Fear, Eren read on his face, feeling a shill travel down his body. 

“The lamp is still in,” someone called, probably Connie. “-and the net too-“

“-Fuck the net, Connie! Let’s just go!” Armin yelled, pulling Eren along out the door, someone slamming it shut when everyone was out. Marco leaned back against a tree outside, breathing heavily as Armin let go of Eren, keeping his eyes on Eren’s face, still worried. 

“I’m fine, Armin,” Eren whispered, succeeding in sending him a small smile while still breathing heavily, his arms moving to hug himself as his cold and wet clothes did nothing to warm him against the chill night outside.

Everyone was looking around at each other, Connie’s hands were shaking while holding the lantern, Marco was holding the other one but his arm seemed steadier. His face however, was another story. Armin was still looking Eren over, Annie’s eyes on Eren as well. Jean still hadn’t spoken, his eyes plastered to the boat house behind them, as if the creature would come running out. 

Silence, then; 

“W-we have to tell everyone, we have to warn the fishermen,” Marco stuttered and Eren snapped his eyes to the other. 

“Fuck, no one’s going to believe us though,” Connie exclaimed, running a hand back and forth over his head, “we’re going to sound just like the crazy ladies talking about the sirens. What… what even was that?” His arms snapped to gesture towards the door.

“Annie, you were right. What do you think we should do?” Armin asked, rubbing a hand over his face, everyone now turning to look at Annie who was holding her arm close to her, her ponytail slightly messy. 

“This… this town is relying on exports and imports by the ocean. M-maybe these monsters don’t roam there? I mean people who’ve mysteriously died in Trost have all died in the lake, right?” Marco asked. The boat house itself was placed in the north part of Trost where the freshwater lake, Lake Maria, was positioned and a slim but very long stream was all that connected it to the ocean, because of the current the lake was only made of freshwater which the entire city heavily relied on. 

“Krista was drowned in the ocean,” Annie said, looking at Marco from under her bangs. 

“What even has a fish tail!? And did you see those teeth, I thought he was going to bite through your neck, Eren!” Connie said, looking devastated. 

“What do you mean?” Eren asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“The man behind you, his teeth they were… like a shark’s, a bear’s… a monster’s. He could’ve easily killed you if he wanted too,” Armin replied, staring down at the ground, his face lit up by Marco’s lantern who was standing beside him.

“I… I don’t want to say it but… I’m sorry Eren but why didn’t he kill you? If they’ve been killing or kidnapping people for this long why not take an opportunity like this?” the blond continued, his eyebrows pushing together. Eren could see Annie look between Armin and Eren, wondered if Armin was going to blame Annie for pushing in the creature they’ve caught. She might have saved Eren’s life for not taking time to negotiate but she also put him in a deadly situation by doing so. Eren wasn’t one to dwell on things that had already happened, things in the past that you now couldn’t affect but he sure as hell knew Armin was one to bring past mistakes up. 

“I-I don’t think we should tell anyone or do anything, okay? Let’s just stay away from the waters. I mean… we don’t exactly want to start a war with these things, right?” Annie said, her voice stuttering, her arms hugging her body tighter. She looked scared. 

“We could just find some poison and pour it into the lake and they would all be gone!”

“Connie, we need the water from the lake, the wells wouldn’t be able to support entire Trost with water. And what about Ragako on the other side, your hometown? They’re relying on the lake for everything,” Armin muttered. 

Ragako was a small village on the other side of the lake, it could just be seen from Trost if you stood at the smaller port of Lake Maria and with a good pair of binoculars you could spot the houses on the other side. Eren had been there twice, when they were going over the lake for trips with the orphanage. There was a baker on the other side who made Ragako’s famous fruit cakes and some people went the hour long ride over the lake just for his products. It was a high valued gift to give to people around the land in Trost and other cities nearby. 

“Let’s just… I mean there’s no way we can kill those two. They’re fast and… obviously deadly, the male’s teeth looked like glass shards! Are they even the only ones?”

“And did you see the girl’s nails? I thought she was going to rip the net apart!”

“Eren, you were held by the male, he was strong right?” Marco asked and Eren suddenly had all eyes on him again. He rubbed at a spot on his shoulder, recalling his near-death experience just a couple of minutes ago. His wet jacket was weighing him down and at the moment he just wanted to get home, change and go to bed.

“He was strong,” he nodded, starting to move towards the wheat field in an indication he was going home, “his arms I mean… but his tail was even… it was like a giant big muscle, he could’ve squeezed me to death, I’m sure” he breathed, looking down at his hands. 

He had been in such a dangerous situation, in the hands of a monster, of a killer. How lucky was he even to be alive?

They didn’t say anything for a while after they followed him into the fields towards the city, Marco walking ahead of Eren to light the way as Connie took the back with his lantern, Jean taking the tail. 

“L-let’s just ignore this happened,” Jean was the one to break the silence as they were close to the Rose Garden, there were lights out here and the further Eren got from the lake the better he felt. He was still shivering constantly but his heart had slowed down to a normal pace by now.

“We could try to warn people not to enter the lakes, at least not alone but… it should be common sense now, after Mina and Jacob’s deaths. We could come up with some bullshit story about dangerous fishes but telling people we saw a siren, two sirens today? They would just think we were as mad as the old ladies,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Yeah, we could tell people, if we wanted to but-“ Connie quieted down and looked at Annie, sending an apologetic look her way. 

“-they won’t believe you and just think you’re crazy,” she finished for him. 

“Come on, let’s just leave, Eren is about to freeze to death either way. We can talk more about this tomorrow,” Armin said and grabbed Eren’s sleeve, leading him towards the path that would lead them to Jean’s house. It was way after their curfew at the orphanage.

The entire way home no one spoke, Eren and Armin sneaked in with Jean where they parted with the rest. Marco was apparently staying at Connie’s place and even though everyone was still in slight shock after what had happened Eren knew from Jean’s look that the boy had preferred Armin and Eren stayed at Connie’s instead and that he got to help Marco through his bedroom window instead for the two. 

Eren closed the window after him, shutting the curtains over it but stopped a second to look outside first. The night sky was a clear, dark blue, no clouds in sight. The moon was in view behind a treetop. ‘Full moon, huh’, Eren thought as he rubbed a stain on the glass. 

“Eren come on, I’m tired,” Jean hissed behind him. His clothes were still wet and the brown haired boy removed them all at once, grabbing for underwear in Jean’s wardrobe. He thought he heard a muffled ‘don’t bother returning those later’ from the bed on the floor but he didn’t bother to reply. Eren turned and crawled up the stairs and noticed Armin already lying there. The blond peeked at Eren from over the blankets, watching as his friend groaned and crawled down again and to share the bed with Jean, quietly snickering. 

The blond waited for a snarky comment from either of the boys but after a couple of minutes of nothing, he closed his eyes. But not before leaning over the edge to look down. His smile fell as he saw both his friends. Eren and Jean were lying with their backs to each other but both shared similar expressions flashing over their faces; fear, terror, anxiety, distress, panic, ‘what would happen next?’

Armin rolled over again, his fingers linked, placed above the covers and over his chest. The three boys didn’t share any words until the next morning, but no one slept for long either. 

 

***-***-***

They didn’t meet up to do anything the next day, Eren and Armin had dragged their bodies and blank faces to their home early in the morning. Marco was already there when they opened the door and Eren reached behind him to rub at his shoulder again. He went over to the big window in their room and undid the curtains, letting them fall and cover most of the sun. Marco was lying on his bed, staring at Armin’s empty bed. He truly looked like he had witnessed someone die. 

Armin was sitting on his bed, by his drawer, flipping through his clothes. Eren went over to his own, his damp clothes lying in the cleaning basket by the door. He had dropped Jean’s underwear in the boy’s face before leaving, earning a handful of cusses from the horse-face who got scolded by his mother for the ugly words. Mr. Kirschstein had insisted the two boys stayed for breakfast when they woke up but Armin came up with some excuse before they made their way home, walking close to each other the entire way there. 

Eren put on a new shirt, a dark, forest green, plain one with three buttons at the front, the shirt hanging just under his collar bones. He moved into some dark pants and a pair of socks, rolling his eyes at Armin who gave him a look because they were different colors. The blond beside him had grabbed his leather back and thrown it over his shoulder and Eren raised his eyebrow. 

“You’re going somewhere?” he asked. 

“I’m going to search up on these things after breakfast. I can’t just sit here… it’s impossible we’re the first ones who’ve seen them,” Armin replied and stood up, turning to the door, then he added: “and survived I guess.”

Eren rose from the bed he was sitting on and going over to Marco, patting his arm. 

“Marco come on, it’s breakfast soon,” he said and Marco jumped at the touch, Eren pulling back his arm instantly. The dark-haired man rolled over after a while and then sat up on the bed, legs over the edge and hands in his hair, elbows on his knees. He inhaled loudly, breathed out and Eren and Armin waited patiently. 

“Okay,” he said after a while and stood, following behind Armin with Eren just on his heels. 

Breakfast didn’t taste as good as it usually did. They were sitting in the big dinner hall with the white walls, they were covered in drawings children had made during the years. There was a giant chandelier above them, turned off at the moment but all the glass-shards were reflecting light from the sun and were now throwing rainbows all over the room. It was a beautiful but familiar sight and something the younger children always found entertaining, a reason to wake up early in the morning, Eren guessed. 

“Eren stop rubbing, if it’s a mosquito bite you’re not supposed to rub it you know,” his friend said beside him, slapping Eren’s hand away. Eren rolled his eyes and picked his spoon up again, finishing his porridge. 

Armin and Eren left together after breakfast, the taller holding the big gates open as Armin passed outside, the gate guard nodding towards them. 

They made their way towards town, watching people around them go about their business as the city had just woken up an hour or a few ago. A horse wagon nearly knocked them over as it rolled around a corner in a bit of a too fast speed. It did make another person, a lady, jump backwards. She was balancing wooden spoons and bowls on each other, cursing at the person who was steering the horse as she dropped a few. 

Armin and Eren passed the smaller restaurant which served really good drinks, lingonberry juice one of Armin’s favorites, and entered the next house, the book store. The bell called above them as they opened the door, repeating the sound when it closed. Both put on a smile as they saw Thomas behind the counter, yawning but waving at them as they walked inside. 

“Good morning guys. A bit early, aren’t we?” he asked and both nodded. 

“We’re looking for some special kind of books though, older ones,” Armin said, walking up to Thomas while Eren read over a big sign that said something about new books coming in next week, his eyes scanning the titles that were placed under it. 

“Oh well, I’ll get my dad then. Good, I can go grab something to eat then too, I didn’t even have time before the clock rang and ‘Up you go boy, open our store which has the doors to a thousand words’,” Thomas said, dramatically impersonating his father. Armin hid a laugh behind his hand and Thomas grinned and went through the door behind him, leading to the stairs probably. He heard a loud ‘dad’ behind called and Armin turned to give Eren a look as the brown haired was holding a book by a sign that said ROMANTIC NOVELS. Eren caught his friend’s eye and quickly tried to ram the book into the shelf again. 

“I was just-uhm,” he said, coughing as he finally got it in and scowled when Armin laughed. But before the boy was going to tease Eren about his choice of reading material to skim through while waiting for the librarian, said person showed up. 

“So! What can I help you boys with this early on a Saturday, Armin, Eren,” the man asked, nodding a hello at each boys. He had a thick, grey beard with a small braid at the end, round glasses pushed up on his nose and a constant smiling mouth that Thomas had taken from. The book shop was rather big, stairs up to another floor full with just books. It was quite narrow in space though as the family tried to shove as many books in there as possible. 

“We’re looking for something on sirens, people in the water, like with… fish tails?” Armin asked, laughing a little before adding; “it’s for school and since some people have been talking about it around town we got a bit curious.”

The man nodded, scratching his chin before opening a very thick, leather binder that he pulled out from a drawer in the desk he was standing behind. He scanned the first page, his index finger running down the middle of the page before flipping to the next side. 

“They’re called sirens, mermaids or merpeople in some places. I’ve heard water spirits and fish-demons too, there was a fisherman here yesterday who borrowed a book about it actually. I just never remember where to find me books in this messy place,” he said, finally stopping at a page and reading for a second before mumbling ‘23b’ to himself and walking up the stairs, both boys following him. 

“These are all the books I have on water monsters and such, demons of fire starts here,” he said, tapping the back of a book with a pen. 

“There’s other things on this shelf though, some might be forest spirits as they’re in the same theme here.” There was a full row of books about sirens then, or mermaids. No, Eren thought, a man with a fish tail had grabbed him, so… merpeople. 

“Thank you so much, we’ll look around some. Is it okay if we take the round table in the reading room,” Armin asked, rummaging around in his bag before he picked a silver and two bronze coins up, handing them to Mr. Wagner. The man nodded and wished them a good luck before going back down the stairs. 

Armin took a deep breath after closing his bag, looking at Eren with a ‘let’s get started then?’ face and picking the first book of the shelf that had at least 30 books in it. Eren groaned and started piling up books on his arms, 8 stacked on top of each other before he balanced over to the table, barely seeing over the edge of books. He really hoped there weren’t any banana peels on the floor. 

“I want the books back and in alphabetic order when you’re done, boys,” the book-shop owner called from downstairs and Armin replied with a ‘yes sir’, leaning over the railing so he wouldn’t have to yell too loud. 

He sat down in front of Eren and he himself placed a stack of books on the table. While he sat down to start on the first one his taller friend went over to fetch the rest of them, trying to buy as much time as possible before he had to start reading through the books too. Eren was interested, he obviously was, but there were to many complicated words, too small letters and weird grammar in these books, he could tell from just looking at their fronts. Eren kicked his boots off, putting his feet up on the empty chair to his left, trying to make himself more comfortable. He licked his lips and opened one of the books, looking at Armin in front of him who was already scanning pages at a fast speed. Maybe he could-

“Eren, start reading,” Armin demanded, not even looking up from the book. Eren groaned and picked the thick book up again. 

This particular one didn’t have much on the kinds of monster Eren was looking for, the title was even called Hinduism: Suvannamaccha, the golden mermaid. It just seemed like a long story instead of actual facts about the sea creatures so Eren put it away, on top of a book Armin had neglected too. The waste bin. 

His next one had a red, leather-y cover, was much thinner but also written with the occasional letters Eren didn’t even recognize. He waved it in front of Armin who looked up, grabbed it and browsed through the first pages before placing it on top of the other two books. 

Eren’s third book was called ‘Tales from the sea’ and seemed pretty interesting, it was a collection of stories about “sea-women” and each story, about 20 of them, had a small summary. Actually a lot of them mentioned beautiful women with fish tails, he made a face however at one which described a huge fish with a female’s lower body and legs. 

He put it down in the middle of the table, telling Armin this one was worth looking through later as it was different sailor’s stories. Armin nodded and moved two books he had beside him on top of that one. 

There was a book that gave Eren the shivers as he read on the back of the papery material. It described pirates that had raped women and then ended up cursed by the Moon God. On every man’s last trip over the ocean a beautiful woman would enchant them in the night, sing for the sailor’s, call for him and as he would jump into the water for the beautiful maiden. She would then turn and on her back there would be rotten skin and a big mouth on the back of her head, covered in hair and she would rip his eyes out and- Eren closed the book, practically shoving it out from his sight to the pile of neglected books. 

The mermaid he and his friends had found had a perfectly normal back, just like the male probably had. Well, if you ignore the part about the lower body being a fish of course. 

“This one is very accurate this far,” Armin broke the silence, closing a book and turning it over, “It’s just called Merpeople and written by… Kitts Verman.” Eren nodded and the blond put it down by the rest and picked up a purple one. 

It didn’t take as much time as Eren had anticipated it would and while Armin started making notes in a note-book he had brought Eren started to question their studying. Of course he was curious, as he confirmed to himself earlier but… what would they do with this information? Try to catch or kill the things? If they somehow succeeded and these two merpeople were the only one’s luring in their lake, eating humans here and there, as the book implied they did, apart from rape and torture them… ugh… but if they somehow succeeded in killing them, what if there was more? Or other merpeople heard it through the fish-gossip or read the crab-news paper or whatever way they shared their storie, would they come for revenge?

Couldn’t they maybe just not eat humans? There were plenty of fish there and with their speed, teeth and all it should be easy, right? Or were they allergic to fish?

And Eren couldn’t even fantasize about eating something that looked half like himself. Maybe the people only ate their legs? No, that was stupid… maybe they didn’t actually even eat them, maybe they just killed them. But for what? Eren doubted Mina had raped any fair virgins or done something to get herself killed for it. Or maybe the sirens had some weird religion where they had to sacrifice humans or human feet to Poseidon or something. Was Poseidon then real? 

Eren’s forehead met with the table and he got a slap on top of his head by Armin, demanding Eren continued reading already. 

Armin ended up bringing three books with him from the store and while Eren got the job to put all books back in order in the shelf, Armin asked about more gossip about the creatures, both now more experienced in the field. Mr. Wagner didn’t seem to know too much however, he found the topic of sirens silly and started joking about the old hags who gossiped about it in the first place. 

 

***-***-***

 

It had been a month. 

An entire month and they hadn’t really found out much in that time. Eren’s eye twitched as he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His legs were starting to move and knew it his inner debate was over. He had made up his mind.

He was going to visit the boat house again. There had to be a reason the merman didn’t kill him, Eren knew that. 

When he had woken up a week or so ago he had suddenly remembered, finally recalled where he had seen those silver eyes before. He had sat up in his sheets in the middle of the night, the white blankets sticking to his sweaty body as he just woke from an intense dream. He was panting as he still saw the shiny eyes before him. He’d seen those in the ocean when he escaped with Hannes, when he was just a child. Eren had neglected the memory to the back of his mind as he had convinced himself it was just a wild fantasy he made up as a child, he was scared, tired and it might’ve also just been a dream at the time. 

He remembered the hair being dark on that person as well, but if it actually was the same creature that meant the merpeople could live in both the ocean and freshwater. How did it get to the lake Maria though? Through the small stream? If it traveled by night, where no one could see him it would actually be possible. 

Eren quickly grabbed his shirt he had removed earlier, before he changed his mind. It was June and the summer weather had finally reached them, the wind warm and the sun high on the sky. He put it on while running down the stairs, jumping over a child that was lying on the floor, playing with sticks or something. 

‘Yeah, you can do this. Someone needs to pick up the net either way’ he told himself, trying to convince himself that he really needed to go there, for the net. That it wasn’t just his usually stupid curiosity that got him into bad situations. 

It didn’t take Eren long to get there, half running and jogging the entire way there and with the sun put in the middle of the sky it was much easier to see the path in the wheat field in front of him. He wondered briefly if the merpeople only were out at night and slept by day but recalled that girl they captured was sleeping when they found her, and it had been very late at the time. 

He stopped in his tracks when he was in front of the door, panting a little as he had actually rushed his way there as if something would stop him. Eren bit his lip, grabbing the door handle after a moment of thinking his choices over. 

What the hell.

He yanked it open and quietly walked inside, but then turned around and closed the door after him. The old farmer that owned the wheat field might see the door standing open and would perhaps walk over to check it out. The lock was already gone and lying in the grass though, so if he would have bothered, he probably already had. Was it even the farmer’s house? It was abandoned, as far as Eren and his friends knew and he didn’t remember anyone actually mentioning whose it was. He just assumed it was the farmer’s since the wheat field was the closest piece of land someone owned to it. 

Looking around the place Eren realized it looked a lot different in the day light. It was still dark inside since the boat doors were shut but there was enough light to slip through the cracks and the water reflected some around the room. 

Eren stood as close to the wall as possible as he strained his neck, looking over the edge to check for possible merpeople with hungry eyes. It looked like when they had left it, the lamp in and the net lying on the bottom. There was nothing moving down there and the waves were fairly calm inside the house, it wasn’t a windy day after all. The light made the room look smaller than he had experienced it to be at night though, and Eren looked towards the cord that was connected to the lamp, biting his lip again. 

“Well, here goes,” he said to himself and started pulling on the string, having to stand close to the water hole or the lamp would catch at the edge and get stuck. He kept his eyes on the water all the time however, if he was quick enough he would have time to jump backwards in time, right? When he was grabbed last time he had his full attention elsewhere and the male had grabbed him from behind. 

The lamp was still turned on and Eren hanged the wet thing on its hook after turning the switch off. The brown-haired then stood and looked around the room, scanning the walls and spotting a long metal rod with a hook at the end. He took it down carefully but ended up hitting a can standing on a barrel none the less, smooth as he was. He cursed and put it up on the wooden barrel again.

Moving to stand on the left side of the gap, where they had pulled the mermaid up on he scanned the water underneath him before reaching down into it. This side of the floor was wider so if something actually jumped up at him he might have time to leap backwards or to the side, preferably crawling onto one of those boxes there if something made it to the floor. 

The rod was quite long and was just the right length for the hook to grab a part of the net and pull upwards. Eren saw a crab run away in fright, it was fairly large and he might try fish one up. There was sand being pushed up and mixing with the water at the bottom, creating a muddy cloud and Eren couldn’t see the bottom any longer. He had to move backwards to turn the hook the right, pulling it towards himself , carefully but still banging it into the wall behind him, the boy making a face as he hoped no one was nearby and would have heard it. 

He grabbed the wet net and hauled it up all the way, the ropes at the corners too. It was quite a struggle as the stone weights constantly caught on the edge. When he was done he spread it out over the small floor, as much as he could, folded it twice and started to hang it up on the wall. This was a lot harder than it looked for Jean to remove it, but Eren was alone though. He knocked over two old fishing rods but only picked them up when he was done with the net, now hanging on the wall and drying. 

It was quite stupid to hang it up again since there was a huge hole in the middle of it, probably caused by the female mermaid as she ripped her way free. 

Eren looked around after he placed the second rod back on the wall, his arms resting on his hips. 

What should he do now? He had no reason to stay here any longer… there was nothing here. 

‘Eren just leave!’ he yelled at himself in his thoughts. 

But… he was too curious to just leave. 

“Fuck it,” he mumbled and sat down on the floor, directly in front of the boat doors, sitting with a good meter from the edge though, legs crossed. He leaned back against another barrel that was positioned there, scanning the water and around the room. After a few minutes of changing his position back and forth he sighed. 

Well it was worth a try, right?

“H-hello?” he called, blushing when he heard how scared he sounded. He coughed and tried again lowering his voice to sound more manly and more intimidating. There was only silence apart from a bird calling occasionally somewhere outside and the slight sound of waves hitting wood where the pillars that held the boat house up met the surface. 

Eren rubbed his eyes with both hands in embarrassment, what was he doing here?

He heard a particularly loud splash not too far away and opened his eyes. He saw the rings of water near boat doors and then he saw it, a golden tail. It quickly disappeared under water but Eren swore he saw some blue in there too. And just by the space where it vanished a familiar set of eyes were watching him. The man’s hair was wet and drops were falling from the black strands. 

He was practically glaring Eren down. 

Oh.


	8. To where air is

”H-hello,” Eren heard himself say as he stumbled to his feet, backing up against the wall behind him. He would be completely mad to get near the edge again. He might be curious and constantly get called ‘suicidal bastard’ by Jean for his braveness but Eren was not ready to get dragged down into the water again for a long time.

The black haired creature stayed with his mouth and nose underwater, which was probably a way of declining Eren’s tries to converse. His hair looked very smooth, Eren thought as he stared at the man. He also didn’t look as old as Eren had pictured him to be but there was something about his appearance or his expression which made Eren doubt he was his age or younger. Some of the books spoke of merpeople being immortal so… well, he could always actually ask.

“How old a-are you?” Eren tried, his voice still shaking. At the question the man tilted his head in the water as a reply, raising an eyebrow. He actually looked quite offended.

Uhm.

“Well, it’s just because… I’m pretty sure I’ve s-seen you before, I mean apart from last time, last month,” Eren stuttered and probably spoke the words to quickly for him to understand, the human’s breath picking up. Was the room getting smaller around him? He felt like there was no oxygen left and he tried to look away but all he could do was stare at the other. His eyes were bringing Eren in, all other thoughts were no longer important, he wanted to get closer to that silver.

When Eren suddenly felt his foot move on its own accord his breath hitched. He was being fucking hypnotized, like the sailors in the tales! Eren shakily brought up his left hand, with as much focus as possible, to his right arm and pinched himself. It craved a lot more energy than it should have and he tried again, harder this time. With the pain he was able to break the gaze, almost panting and he stared down at the floor in horror.

Fucking Christ!

He looked up just to make sure the creature was still there, cautious this time to not meet the other’s eyes. When he looked up he realized he was alone again, there were no rings on the surface, as if he’d never even been there. Eren shuddered as he recalled his nightmares, trying to escape from that thing in water would be impossible.

The boy grabbed at his knees, his palms pressing hard against his pants as he took a moment to calm himself down.

This had been a bad idea, a terrible idea. He could’ve easily been killed by now. He shut his eyes close and bit his lip, bringing a hand up to hit himself in the head.

“Fuck, you’re stupid Eren,” he said to himself, glaring at the water, his breathing still a bit too fast. What would Armin do if Eren died? Mikasa? Jean and the others?

“Selfish idiot,” he mumbled to himself, turning around and kicking his foot against the floor.

Sighing and slammed the door shut, he made his way out. Curiosity was one thing but now he had received two very clear warnings not to fuck with these things. The feeling of his leg moving on its own scared him senseless and the fear was probably the reason Eren could break free. It was so alien, like his body was no longer his. Maybe the merman wasn’t as experienced with hypnotism as the others? Or just not as good at it? Eren had been lucky, getting away with only pinching himself and a small bruise on his arm. Singing and enchanting sailors seemed like what most mermaids did, this was a male however and they weren’t mentioned much at all in the books him and Armin had gone through. Maybe that was a factor in the hypnotism?

A majority of the books held tales about gods, mighty forces which controlled the weather or the fishing luck for the season. It sounded way too ridiculous for Eren but the hypnotism? He’d just gotten that part proven to be true, getting front row seats and everything.

“Going anywhere, Eren?” Someone suddenly asked and Eren who was in deep thoughts almost tripped on his own feet but successfully straightened up before turning and staring into blue eyes and blond hair.

“Annie … hi!” Eren almost yelled, laughing at himself and scratching the back of his neck. “Uhm, I’m kind of in a hurry, I forgot to check the schedule if I had work today and, yeah,” he said, walking further down the gravel covered road. Annie hopefully didn’t see him coming out from the wheat fields, if he was lucky.

“What were you doing there, are you okay?”

Damn it.

“What? I’m fine! Sorry, I’ve really gotta hurry, Annie,” Eren called, already on his way towards the tavern. After he got out of her view he took a turn towards his home instead, biting his thumb as he walked through the city in quick steps.

When he entered the orphanage he felt like slamming the doors shut as if Annie had followed him the entire way home. Just to be sure he turned and peeked outside, only seeing children laughing by the swings and some running around in the grass, probably playing tag or something.

“Eren, you okay?” Someone asked, the third person today to surprise him, Eren counted. He turned around, this one belonging to his sister.

“Mikasa!”

“What’s up? You look scared” Armin asked as he appeared behind her, their steps even as they walked down the left set of stairs, the old wood creaking under their feet.

“Uh, I might have tried to steal some stuff at Pixis since I accidently forgot my money here but I dropped it and just ran,” he said and was surprised at himself. Wow, Eren, good job. That was actually a believable lie! He wanted to pat himself on the back but if he physically did that would probably crack his lie.

“Then you go home, fetch it and walk back, you lazy moron, it’s not like it’s a long distance” Mikasa said, rolling her eyes. They had told Mikasa about the evening in the boat house and she had been furious with them for trying to catch a monster in the waters. Eren had to assure her he was okay, which took some damn time. Mikasa wasn’t one to worry in a distressed way, she was more of an angry-worried woman. Anyone who put a finger on Eren back in Shiganshina and here at Trost got their ass kicked by his sister, it was quite embarrassing a lot of times but Eren used to cross his arms, stick his chin up, close his eyes and turn his head and go ‘hn!’ He would say, ‘Well, Mikasa is older’ and then don’t mention more about it. Mikasa was indeed older than Eren, by 11 months months. But for Eren it was an excuse to say ‘I’m not weak, Mikasa is just overprotective’ and it worked for quite a long time actually.

Armin, Eren and Mikasa spent the evening at Mikasa’s house, strolling around and ending up playing a board game called Pawn, it was something the priest’s wife had bought a week ago or so, to entertain the children who had to wait while their parents did services and such.

They had a fun time together and Eren forgot about troubling thoughts about monsters for a few hours at least. All three looked up when Mikasa’s father, the priest walked in, wearing his casual clothes.

“Now, now, shouldn’t you boys head back to eat dinner soon?” he asked, removing his hat that Eren had made fun of on several occasions. Mikasa nodded and looked down at the board, sighing.

“Armin you’ve won, you’ve got the most points,” she said and started cleaning off the table, Eren grunting and Armin grinning, helping her. She stood up and put it in place on the shelf beside the other games then turned to hug Eren. Their entire house was spotless, always clean and organized with Mikasa’s mother staying home days in and out, having nothing else to do than clean.

They two boys waved goodbye as they exited the house, walking down the road together. It had actually gotten later than they realized and they had to jog the last bit, being glared down by Frida who was standing in the door entry with the dinner bell, both hands on her hips.

“Sorry, Frida- OW!” Armin yelled as his apology had gotten interrupted when she had given herself the liberty to smack his behind like she had a tendency to do. She rolled her eyes.

“Just get inside,” and Eren chuckled behind closed lips as he pulled a glaring Armin with him to the dinner hall.

Two bowls of tomato soup later Eren was sitting in bed, briefly looking over at Armin who was lying in his own bed, the boy’s chest slowly rising. He was clearly asleep and Marco seemed to be as well. The big clock in their room told him it was 10 minutes to 11 and his eyes moved over to the window, the dark night sky in view. The staff, maids and other employees would probably be scanning the halls for children by now. If you were over 16 you were allowed to sleep outside of the orphanage without having to ask permission beforehand but all the others were to be counted each evening. Well you actually always had to ask for permission but since the older children never bothered to follow the rule it kind of disappeared by time.

Eren bit his lip, his heart was beating wildly in his chest, his fingers were gripping the sheets, letting go and gripping them again. His inner struggle went back and forth but when Eren felt adrenaline kick in his legs he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. His curiosity was too bad.

Fuck, was he going to do this?

He really, really, _really_ shouldn’t go there again, he shouldn’t even think about it! Why was he so obsessed about it anyway? It was dangerous, reckless and stupid in so many ways and Eren wished he could just let it go. He was too damn curious.

8 minutes left.

“God damn it,” he hissed quietly to himself as he spurted from the bed towards door, sneaking down the stairs and exiting the building. The guard raised an eyebrow at Eren but he just waved it away.

“I’m sleeping at a friend’s house,” he said to the man and grabbed a lantern by the door, lightening it before stepping outside the gates of the orphanage. He continued down the streets towards the center. Eren just then remembered that the bulb in the boat house was out and even though he brought a lantern he was still guilty to repair it. He might let curiosity win but there was no idea to even go without a working bulb as he wouldn’t be able to see into the water.

He ran down the streets, just in time to slip into the store for tools and such when the person was just about to close the door. Eren literally ran under the man’s arm turning and grinning at the bearded man.

“I’m just gonna get a light bulb, two seconds, I promise!” he said and the man’s face said it all.

“Well, hurry on then,” he grumbled and Eren bowed slightly in a thanks before scurrying over to the light-section. There were three bulbs to choose from and Eren picked the one he thought resembled the one for the old one, it had to be small enough to fit into the ‘cage’ at least.

He grabbed the one in the middle and hurried over to the clerk. By the counter there were red lollipops, looking like melted strawberry or maybe raspberries. He grabbed two, waiting for the man behind the desk to nod before pocketing them and smiling. He got the light bulb in a small paper bag and handed over a silver coin, he got his change, half a bronze coin back and if he wouldn’t have been a poor kid he would’ve tipped the man.

He exited the store and almost crashed into two old men that were just passing outside, probably having closed their own stores, Eren thought he recognized one as a merchant. He apologized and the men merely laughed, people seemed to be in a good mood today.

The path was now fairly familiar and Eren held out the lantern in the air, the glow from the light casting shadows around him. He was jumpy, on edge and had a minor heart attack when a bunny raced across the road in front of his feet. Eren groaned and rubbed a hand down his face.

He was actually considering just turning back about now, just walk to Connie’s or Jean’s place. He was alone, in the dark night and on his way towards the place he had nearly died a while back. But the next moment he had reached the part of the field where the small trail was and he just took a second or two before entering the high grass. He really hoped nothing would run out at him by now, like a mouse or a rat.

What about snakes?

Just think about something else, you idiot!

What am I even doing?

I’m seriously on my way to try communicating with the monster who tried to kill me?

Let’s just get going, he repeated in his mind, whispering it to himself.

When Eren actually reached the boat house he felt like it was a miracle, it was dark as shit, he had tripped twice, even with the lantern lightning up the place. He’d thankfully not broken the bulb inside the bag, though his knees and legs had gotten dirty the second time he fell as there had been a pool of mud under him.

Eren looked up from his thoughts, taking a few steps to the left to stare out the water. He had clearly heard a splash. Sure, it might very well just be a fish but it made Eren grip the bag a bit tighter, pressing his lips together.

What Eren kind of hoped for was to see the girl and apologize to her. He felt like someone actually should, after what they did. She also seemed to know the silver-eyes man, in fact, he seemed very protective of her and if Eren got on her good side, somehow, he might find out what he wanted. A name that had started getting repeatedly mentioned in Eren’s thoughts was Hannes and if the merman was the same Eren remembered from his night at the rocks, he should know what had happened to him. Eren’s thoughts immediately circled in on one thing that could have happened but he tried to discard the thoughts.

Opening the door and peeking inside, Eren cursed when he realized it was so dark he couldn’t see anything. There could be someone standing in front of the door and Eren would walk right into that person. He opened the door wider and moved his hand, holding the lantern, inside. The moonlight from outside was giving a slight reflection in the small gap between the boat doors and the water, but it didn’t reveal anything that might be hiding under the black surface. Leaving the door slightly ajar Eren walked inside and carefully put the lantern down on one of the barrels.

Eren carefully walked over to the lantern on the wall and picked up the cord. Pulling the bag with him he sat down on the floor, starting to fiddle with the old light bulb, screwing in the wrong direction at first, of course. He was happy to see the new one fit as well, the light was a bit more yellow-ish, he realized when it sparked to life as he was still attaching it.

The room looked like it had yesterday, everything in place and just as dusty. Eren tried the switch on the wall before closing the small gate around the bulb and gripped the cord again. Eren wasn’t going to go near the edge but he also wanted to get the light into the water. After some thinking he took a step closer to the edge, still at least two meters left before he would hit water, and carefully threw the lamp across the edge. The cage would protect it but Eren was relieved when he didn’t hear it swing and smash into a pillar underneath. He slowly hoisted it down into the water and took another step to look over the edge.

It shone the place up just as beautifully as the first time, the corals and plants on the bottom colorful in the water. After turning his lantern down to a smaller flame to save oil ( he didn’t bring a lighter so unless there was none in the boat house he wanted the flame to stay alive) and looked up at the room in front of him as the lamp from under the water threw light up on the walls and ceiling. It casted shadows and patterns over the entire room, the waves making the shapes dance around.

Eren took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and placing his hands in his lap.

Now what?

Should he try a hello again? Eren bit his lip, drying his sweaty hands on his pants and looked over the room again. It felt rather awkward just waiting.

He grabbed a stick that was lying behind him and starting to break the twig into smaller pieces. He played with the last piece for a minute, throwing it up in the air and then catching it, looking around the room and into the water again.

Nothing.

He grabbed a piece of the twig and threw it into the water, the next one went a bit too far and hit the door for the boats, bouncing back with a loud thud in the otherwise quiet place, landing in the water. He finished the rest of the pieces, the twig-parts just floated around on the surface. Eren wanted to have a notebook with him so he could write; ‘Throwing sticks at the water does not summon mermaids’.

Eren heard a dog barking from far away and looked behind him, he couldn’t see anything outside the house but realized it would be smart to shut the door by now. He stood up and carefully closed it, rubbing his hands on his pants again as he felt like something wet had been on the handle.

“Why did you ask about my age?”

Eren nearly fell to the floor after he jumped into the air and tried to turn at the same time, hands moving to slap his palms flat against the door.

“Fuck! You scared me,” he yelled, quieting down towards the end there, his body sinking to the floor. Eren brought a hand up to his chest as his heart sped up.

There, on the edge, just a couple meters from his feet was a merman watching him, he had his arms crossed and resting on the planks. With the only light source behind and kind of under the man it made him look even more intimidating than last time. Eren brought his legs up as they had started to unfold around him, not wanting to get grabbed again. His heart skipped a beat as he realized the guy had just jumped two meters into the air, from the water without Eren even hearing it. Sure, the door was creaking a lot as he closed it but still… Two meters!

Also, how did he just continue to ‘hang ‘there, looking so casual. His tail had to be really heavy, right?

Eren had already felt the strong arms around him once but seeing them was another thing.

“Uh, s-sorry?” The human asked as he recalled the guy had asked him a question. The man was evidently amused by watching Eren stutter, he wasn’t smiling but his face said ‘you’re so stupid, hilarious.

The black-haired male took his time before answering, just watching Eren for a minute, the teen trying to breathe normally under his eyes. Did the guy even blink?

When he opened his mouth Eren shuddered at the brief view he got of his teeth. They were sharp, to say the least.

“Why did you ask about my age?” He repeated and Eren gulped.

“Because I’m p-pretty sure I’ve seen you before and that was a few years ago.”

“How many?”

“Uh, around 10?” Eren said and the merman snorted, he didn’t look offended but he rolled his eyes, looking like he wanted to add something along the lines of; ‘oh wow, you’re an idiot’.

“So I look that young to you, for you to even ask the question?” The man undoubtedly knew very well how to speak English, his voice was kind of deep but clear, however some words sounded a bit different, his v and w sounding more like f’s but Eren guessed it was because of their different mouths. The man did have kind of an accent as well, reminding him a little of people from the north. The tone of his voice was rather expressionless though, almost monotone.

“No, not just 10, you weren’t a baby when I saw you… or a, uh… fish-baby,” Eren mumbled, honestly trying, and deeply blushed; what if he was being really offensive now?

“I mean like, are you m-maybe my age? I’m 18, by the way” he hurried to say, lying about his age for some reason. 18 sounded better than 17, he didn’t want the merman to treat him like a child, even though he already kind of was.

“You’re 18?” He got as a reply, as a question, a mocking tone this time and Eren furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yes I am, what about it?” He asked, getting defensive. Eren had heard he had a baby face before, his eyebrows were very manly however, however that added up. The guy didn’t have to be a dick about it.

“You just don’t look 18, is all. More like 15” the man said, his hand moving in the air.

Fucking ignorant fish-dick.

“Yeah? I might be younger but I bet I’m taller than you,” Eren said before he had time to think about the words, crossing his arms over his chest. The guy put on a smirk immediately and Eren had to swallow, trying to do it as quiet as possible. He might have fucked up, but he was not going to back down to this asshole now, jeez, he was a dick.

Instead of answering, apart from his scary grin, Eren heard the sounds of something splashing the water, the man moving slightly but just visible.

Oh.

He was splashing with his tail.

Something moved in Eren’s stomach, his head felt a bit lighter and he wanted to giggle out loud. He ended up biting his lower lip instead.

What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

The danger was right in front of him yet he was in fire and flames of excitement to get to know more about the man.

He coughed out loud.

More about the _merpeople_ , of course. Yes.

“Bullshit,” he replied as the splashing slowed down, resulting in the sound of slow waves, his fin probably fanning back and forth. The man had been out of the water for a while now, how long could he stay on land?

Again he didn’t get a verbal reply but a rise of one eyebrow, a daring expression.

Okay fine.

Eren braced his hands against the floor and stood up, the man watching him as a hawk, his grin gone. The teen slowly side-stepped to the right, going closer and closer to the edge, leaning forwards and craning his neck, trying to catch the tail of the man. When Eren finally got the entire tail into view, the light from underneath making it shine in a thousand colors, he gasped.

Eren shamelessly stared at the man, up and down, his heart going crazy in his chest, mostly because he was still in a very, very dangerous situation… but maybe in some little, tiny, small way because the man was stunning. It was weird to say so, because he didn’t have legs like humans did, but instead one long tail and Eren thought that; if it wasn’t so colorful and majestic it might seem disgusting. If he’d had legs and been walking around in Trost Eren was sure the ladies would be all over him.

The man had pale, even skin and his toned body looked very tempting to touch, especially with drops of water running down his back. His skin was faded into scales around his lower back, by the way he was holding up his weight his ribs were also visible. The tail was starting as skin-colored scales slowly fading to green, blue-ish color, close to a shimmery turquoise. It darkened out into a darker blue as it followed down to the thin part just before the lunate tail fanned out. The dark blue was turned into black there, pitch black like he had been burned at the edges of his tail. If Eren could remember correctly the girl they caught had a much different tail, apart from color and size, her shape was much more rounded than the merman’s.

The thinner fins along his tail were blue as well, translucent like silk moving through water. What stood out mostly on his tail, however, were the small specks of gold along his lower body, the same as Eren spotted yesterday. There were two fins on both sides, just below his hips at the turquoise part and two smaller, sharper ones a bit lower down. Where his tail faded to his back there was a stripe of dark color running all the way up to his neck, following his spine.

The man moved his fin slightly in the water and Eren looked up, realizing he was ogling the other man up and down like he had no shame. With his upper body above the planks and the rest hanging over the edge, the end of his tail just under the water, Eren realized the man was really tall.

No, not tall.

“You’re not taller than me, you’re longer. That’s different,” Eren said after he was done boldly examining the other. The merman didn’t give him a reply and just followed Eren with his eyes as the boy didn’t move back from the edge before slowly, casually sitting down on the floor there. His head moved from Eren’s legs, now crossed on the floor to his face, and then back, like he was wondering what the human was doing.

There was silence, only the sound of water moving as the merman’s tail swayed back and forth in the water, making the light on the celling dance because of the waves. Eren wanted to speak, to ask questions but he didn’t want to break the silence. He did not want the man to leave, not just yet, but he feared he would run out of power to just hang there all day, holding up his entire weight. And again, how long could he stay out of water?

When he saw the merman turning his head from his and starting to raise his head, as if to move to leave, Eren blurted out the question that had been on his tongue since he saw the man.

“W-why didn’t you kill me?” He asked, successfully making the other male stop in his movement and look Eren’s way again. “That other time,” Eren added, already guessing the merman knew what he was talking about.

He looked like he took a moment to think but a after a minute of silence he just shrugged, Eren groaning.

“Come on, tell me. I can’t stand not knowing,” he begged, his voice close to a whisper. Eren scooted closer to him, hoping the merman wouldn’t just leave out of boredom or because he was tired of Eren already.

Maybe he wished he had killed him. But he had stayed this far? He even let Eren take his time to examine his tail, he jumped up on the boards on his own accord.

“Did you want me to?” The man instead asked, kind of glaring at Eren again, the boy forced himself to stay calm under his eyes this time.

“Of course not,” he said in a sort of collected voice, looking down at his fingers and cracking his joints to not stare at the other _all_ the time, at least.

“But if you… or your kind are already… killing humans, why not kill m-me when you clearly had the chance?”

And just like that the glove was thrown, now all he had to do was wait for the man to pick it out, wait for the outcome.

“Maybe I felt that a shit like you wasn’t worth it. Let it suffer, you know,” the other said and Eren wondered if he was joking for a moment. The flat tone and blank face said otherwise.

“Why do you kill humans?” Eren asked and the other narrowed his eyes and Eren felt like he stepped over the line of this man’s hospitality. He slowly, as unnoticeable as possible, scooted backwards, his instincts telling him to get ready to dash backwards or run in case.

The merman moved, but not forwards, the opposite as he pushed himself away from the edge and fell into the water. It was not what Eren expected and he stumbled to his feet to look over the edge and into the water but stumbled on his own feet instead.

Oh no.

Eren had time to grab for the planks in front of him but his body was already falling and his wrist screamed in pain as he fell.

Going head first into the water, probably screaming and waving his arms on the way down, all Eren had time to do was shut his eyes.

When he hit the surface the cold water felt even colder than last time, like tiny sharp glass shards running over his bare arms. Eren flailed with his arms, trying to get to the surface but without knowing whether he was upside down or not it was impossible.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

He let out another cough and the bubbles that escaped his mouth passed his eyes (when did he open them?) and upwards. Okay, so he was turned right. Trying to collect himself enough to swim properly he made it to the surface, his movements slightly too jerky. Gasping as he reached air he was immediately frantically looking around for the predator he knew was somewhere around. He didn’t see anything, no one around him but it was hard to see through the waves. The light underneath him didn’t help too much either as it cast shadows everywhere.

Eren looked behind him, his feet and arms kicking to keep him up and he saw the end of the cliff under the floor, the tiny bit of land he could reach. It was what the boat house was built up on and Eren should maybe be able to fit there.

He made his way over, now with the floor of the boathouse just above his head.

“Fuck,” he cried as he tried to crawl up on the rock but just slipping down instantly. It was too uphill and he couldn’t get his entire body up, just hold on with his arms and look behind him and to his right as much as he could reach while still holding on. He wanted to hide his face in the rocks, shut his eyes and just take it as a man instead of crying. But then again, fighting would probably be manlier. And stupider.

He gasped loudly and brought a hand up to cover his mouth to silence himself, he knew the other must have heard him already, Eren might’ve even landed on him or something. But maybe, if he was quiet enough the merman would go away. He had spared him once before, maybe he had already left.

After at least a minute or two the water surface was still again as there was no movement around him, no stupid humans falling into the water or fins moving back and forth. Eren unintendedly wept again, gasping while looking left and right and down all the time. He was biting his index finger now, one hand successfully holding onto the rock. His feet lower body was getting used to the cold temperature and his upper body was the one freezing at the moment. Eren hoped he would just be left alone until morning and then call for help, or somehow swim around since he clearly wouldn’t be able to make it up himself. The lamp and it’s cord was in the water but Eren knew it would snap if he tried to climb it as it was removable from the wall. And Eren rather kept his only light source at the moment.

“You done squirming?” A deep voice asked behind him, echoing because of the empty space between the water and the floor that was Eren’s roof at the moment. His hand dropped the cliff in shock as he had stirred to turn around, his expression one similar to a scared deer.

The merman was right in front of him, collarbones just above the surface, staying almost completely unmoving on the spot. His fin had to keep moving somewhere down below to keep him up though. Eren pressed himself backwards, his legs kicking to keep him up and very much no as gracefully as the other.

But he was an animal made to be on land, god damn it!

“I’m sorry,” Eren cried in panic, his voice breaking and he truly sounded as he felt; terrified. The other stared at him for a while as Eren tried to keep kicking towards the man in self-defense.

Then he suddenly moved, in the direction towards Eren.

“I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry, I-I’m s-sorry!” Eren screamed now, kicking his legs harder as to defend himself. The merman kept going towards the teen, expression blank. When he was just in front of him, in reach to grab Eren’s legs with his hands, he did so. He pressed his palms to his thighs, holding him down so he wouldn’t kick him. Eren wailed instead, throwing his arms forwards to push at the other’s face and he got a loud groan in return.

“Stop struggling like a baby!” The mermaid demanded, leaning backwards but kept his grip on Eren’s legs, pressing him into the cliff. But Eren kept struggling nonetheless, now trying to punch the man, starting to scream louder. And that was apparently enough of the merman’s patience as he swiftly grabbed Eren’s arms, one hand grabbing his two wrists and pushing them above his head into the rock. His other hand, now free, slapped against Eren’s mouth, keeping his screams muffled. His tail wrapped around Eren’s kicking legs, placing the human in a very familiar grip.

“I said, stop struggling,” he growled in Eren’s face, the teen’s eyes watering again. He was going to die and he was panicking, was screaming like a baby. His last chance to fight was to try to bite the man’s hand but with his hard grip it was impossible.

The merman breathed against his own hand on Eren’s mouth, their faces mere centimeters apart. Eren’s eyes flickered between the merman’s, the silver blurry because his teary eyes.

After a minute of further struggling Eren finally accepted that he wasn’t able to get anywhere. He tried to relax and took a deep breath through his nose, earning a “Good,” from the man, making Eren stare at him in wonder.

What was going on?

Was he really trying to calm him?

“Eren, I’m not going to kill you unless you try to hurt me…” he said, his smooth voice making Eren’s toes twitch. Then he added; “or if you’re just making a nuisance out of yourself, okay?”

Eren carefully nodded.

“If I let go of your mouth and arms, will you not scream or hit me?” He continued, speaking very slowly and clearly as if talking to a child. Eren nodded again and after a pause consisting of the merman debating whether Eren was going to be an idiot or not, he released both arms.

“I’m sorry,” Eren whispered as he was able to breathe through his mouth again, staring down the water, unable to meet the man’s eyes. The grip around his legs felt weird, the scales weren’t cutting into his legs as he would have expected. The tail was also quite warm and was also holding him up. Eren tried to further relax.

“And stop with your sorrys,” he added, Eren ducking his head in embarrassment. He was curious about the merman alright, but being this close made his cheeks burn. Because he was scared and embarrassed to be man-handled by a merman, of course. Nothing else.

“I don’t know how you got your stupid ass into the water-“  
As the man was speaking Eren took notice to his lips. They were thin and soft looking but behind his teeth were the opposite. Mikasa and the other’s had been right, they were _really_ sharp-looking. His fangs were longer and sharper than the rest of his teeth. It was very intimidating but while Eren had expected the other to have a fish-breath or something he didn’t smell much at all.

His tongue, however, made Eren furrow his eyebrows. He hadn’t noticed before because they hadn’t been too up close like this, but when he spoke and opened his mouth enough Eren caught sight of it; it was fucking dark blue, grey kind of. The tip was, at least and then it looked like it faded into normal pink. Why was his tongue blue?

“Are you listening?” the man called, this time louder and Eren looked back up to his eyes and nodded, though he literally had no idea what the other had just said. He brought a hand up to rub away his tears.

“Why is your tongue blue?” Eren sniffled and the man stared at him for a moment before staring at a spot behind him.

He was pulled from the wall with one arm grabbing his left wrist at the same time as the tail released him. Eren was dragged forwards in the water then two hands caught his shoulders as they stopped with the edge just above them. Eren was turned around and he looked up at the planks.

Wait what?

“Lock your legs or whatever you do with them,” a voice said behind him and then a small splash followed as he probably went under water. Two hands grabbed his calves and then suddenly he was pushed upwards, luckily Eren had braced himself as told and his knees didn’t buckle which would have made him fall and land with his ass on the merman’s head. Instead he was hoisted out of the water with such speed he thought he would hit the roof. Instead he was thrown into the air but just pushed over the edge and onto safe ground.

As soon as he felt the planks he crawled forwards, away from the edge and rolled over, lying down with his back against the door, staring forwards. Apart from Eren’s panting there was only silence. His lantern had turned off and it was fairly dark in the room.

After a few minutes passing Eren sat up, still sniffling, then stood up and looked around. The water was clear and there was no one there. The merman was gone.

Eren rubbed his eyes, wondering what to do. He peeked outside the door to the boat house and noticed it was still pitch black outside. There was no way he was walking home or to Jean now, soaked and all. It would be a dead giveaway to where he had been. He removed his shirt and pants after mumbling ‘fuck it’. Lying down on the floor by the door, as far from the water as possible, he stared ahead before he couldn’t handle the light anymore.

Crawling over Eren turned the lamp off, feeling his way back to his spot and laid down in a fetus position, his clothes hanging and drying on hooks by the wall.

It was cold for a summer night but after a while he could feel the sleepiness starting to get to him, his eyelids dropping. He held his arms around himself, his head resting on a small bag he had found on the desk.

“Aren’t you going to go home?” a low voice echoed through the room just before Eren was about to fall into dream land. A smile grew on his lips, his eyelids too tired to open, not like he would see anything either way. He managed to open his mouth though, to get out one last thing before slumber took over him;

“To where? I don’t have one.”


	9. Feet on fire

When Eren woke up in the morning his back was aching from sleeping on the hard, wooden floor and his body shivering from the cold wind. The clothes weren’t soaked anymore but not dry either, he obviously had to put them on either way. He did so in silence, constantly looking out towards the water without spotting anything or anyone out of the ordinary. It was still pretty dark outside and the sun was just starting to rise from afar. Eren left when he was done, still a bit shaken about everything that had happened.

In the early sun it wasn’t hard to find his way back to the orphanage. Eren guessed it was around 6 a clock as only some people were going on about their business in town. The gates were open so it had to be after 6 indeed. He silently sneaked into his room and successfully changed clothes and lied down in the bed without waking the other boys.

What a fucking night.

Eren successfully fell asleep again, hugging himself under his blankets.

At breakfast he acted like nothing had happened, which wasn’t too hard. Unless Armin or Marco actually woke up during the night or the guard somehow told them he saw Eren leave the night before, his friends were clueless. Eren was questioning himself, why he wasn’t telling them friend about last night. He trusted Armin with his life and his blond friend wouldn’t tell anyone if Eren told him not to. However Armin would probably lash out at Eren, angry with his careless behavior. And to punish Eren even more he might even tell Mikasa.

Eren shuddered at the thought.

He decided to keep silent. He was still alive and standing so they didn’t really have to know anything.

***-***-***

Days passed and Eren got caught up in school and he and Armin ended up putting away their books on water creatures to have to study instead. Eren also had to work late on the weekend, easily slipping into old schedules and habits.

Days turned into weeks but finally Eren’s curiosity got the best of him, it brought him on the same, now familiar path through the wheat field as the sun was high on the sky. There was something that kept making him come back, probably curiosity.

Crossing the small forest Eren was now standing in front of the door, biting his lip. On his shoulders he was carrying his brown leather bag stuffed with homework material as he figured he could finish some today, at least he now had a reason to seek silence. He had finally started writing his book review about a self-biography written by a traveler, Ilse. Eren didn’t actually read it of course, he skimmed through it and had it packed in the bag together with paper and pen, so he had some catching up to do.

He actually had problems studying because he couldn’t concentrate, he tried to read a few pages in the study-room at the orphanage but there were two other kids there already discussing their assignment loudly. Eren didn’t want to start complaining as he had a feeling he would end up in a fight with the two. Of course there were a lot of other places to study at, compared to the place he, very much so, should stay away from. The merman might have saved him last time but these things were killers and Eren doubted there was only two of them.

Entering the room he looked around as usual and it looked just like that, like usual. The water was moving with the waves as it was quite a windy day outside, which meant it was hard to see if anything was actually lurking under the surface. But then again, the sound of the waves was very relaxing to listen to.

Eren sat down on the floor, having brought a jacket with him to sit down on, looking out the waters and the big two doors for the boats to enter through. His paper and book was put down beside him as he stood up. The boy was naturally a bit cautious to step close to the edge of the planks, and not because he was clumsy and might fall in again but because something might still try to pull him down. The killings and disappearances were still real, even though Eren convinced himself the person with silver eyes was not one to do such things. He seemed dangerous, strong and a bit pissy, but a murderer? He had spared Eren once and saved him another, held conversations with him and such. That should mean something, right?

Reaching for the rope Eren had to stand on his toes, grabbing it firmly before starting to tug. He had to use his entire weight to pull the doors open, but finally they were open enough and the sun could reach into the boat house.

If someone was out with their boat on the lake and went by the boat house at this moment, they would probably question why the boat house was open. Eren figured that if someone passed and got curious he could just wave his book in the air, it wouldn’t be too weird if someone searched for some quiet to read.

If he had been there with friends people might get annoyed and try to chase them away since it would most likely seem like ‘young people vandalizing the old place’.

The sun didn’t reach Eren where he was sitting again by the wall but the room was lit up and reading was no problem. The light was bouncing off the water and onto the walls and ceiling again, creating patterns and shapes dancing around in the room.

After fiddling with his books and material for a while Eren finally started on the first page of Ilse’s book. , he actually got quite into the book. The wind calmed down after an hour or so and Eren was completely buried in the book, making notes every now and then. After another two the surface was absolute still. Birds were chirping outside and Eren was sure he heard and owl every now and then.

He scratched a spot behind his ear but when he was lowering his hand he stopped mid-air. His eyes snapped up without moving his head and Eren gazed out over the water, past the open doors of the boat house and there, in the water were a familiar set of silver eyes. The merman’s head was just above the surface but as he slowly came closer Eren noticed the tail sometimes gently touching the surface behind him as it gracefully moved up and down.

The human tried to stay put and ignored the merman, he really tried and instead pressed his lips tightly together as he pretended he hadn’t seen the other. Eren could see in the corner of his eyes that he was inside by now. Something moved in the water and Eren finally let his eyes travel back up again, feeling his mouth falling open from the view in front of him. The man was looking up at Eren as well. What made Eren gape however, was the giant fin that was raised behind the man, coming up from the water, out of his back. It was like spikes on a row with fin material in between, like a big, dangerous fan that was stuck to his back with colorful fabric in-between the killer points. Eren remembered seeing a trail of color over the merman’s back when he got a good look of his body last time but he didn’t see that it was a folded fin at the time.

Eren shut his mouth and looked down at his book, his eyes following the letters in his book but after just a moment he realized he had no idea what he just read. He waited for the other to say something but nothing happened, literally everything stood still. Eren suddenly realized why it had become a little bit harder to read the words the last minutes; it was getting dark. He couldn’t possibly have been here for only two hours.

That though made him look up, towards the small portion of the sky he could see, and he realized the sun was just above the tree tops and would probably disappear behind them soon.

“Why aren’t _you_ with your friends?” a voice suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Eren didn’t jump this time, he simply met the other’s eyes.

“I’m studying, I needed to concentrate,” he replied.

“Hm.”

“Why aren’t you with your friends?” Eren asked after a second of silence. The merman by still at the entrance of the boat house, not getting closer. Eren had unconsciously scooted a bit closer to the edge and moved to put his book down after marking the page.

“I just was,” he said, looking up at Eren. Then he disappeared below the surface and Eren craned his neck to watch how the creature moved under the water. Water suddenly splashed everywhere as he emerged from it, arms easily catching on the edge of the floor. With his arms crossed his eyes traveled to Eren, looking quite comfortable, like that didn’t take any effort.

Show off.

Memories of last time filled him and Eren felt himself blush slightly, remembering what a coward he had been, kicking, screaming and crying like a child. He out of reach, not for the man to grab but for him to fall into the water, as clumsy as he was.

No one said anything and only bird song filled the room, with the familiar sound of small waves as the merman probably moved his tail in the water. After a moment of glances on Eren’s part, full on staring from the man, it got kind of awkward, Eren coughing and looking down in his book again. He wasn’t able to concentrate on the words at all, but at least he could pretend he was. ‘Play it of cool,’ he told himself.

“What are you reading?” The merman asked, the sounds of the waves picking up a rhythm, maybe it was unintentional, like a tick or something. Or maybe he was getting a bit impatient or bored.

Eren held up the book with the cover towards the man, but realized it wouldn’t be weird if the guy couldn’t read. Did they have writing underwater? His English seemed just as good as Eren’s though. Did they speak another language between each other?

“It’s called, uh, The tale of Ilse Ragnar”. There was no recognition or reaction at all on the other’s face and Eren moved in his seat.

“It’s about this girl who built her own boat and sailed across the West Sea, around 200 years ago. Heard of her?”

At first the merman just stared at Eren, almost glared. Eren started to presume the other just looked like that all the time. After a little too long came the simple reply; “no”.

“That took some time, you sure you don’t know her?” Eren pushed on.

“If she wrote the book, then she must have come home from his little trip alive, right? So no,” he said in slow words and Eren felt a shiver climb his back when the last words were dropped into the air. His eyes widened and he closed the book, mouth turning into a straight line.

“What do you mean?” Eren asked, voice hard. He couldn’t crack now, he had a chance to actually ask the question that was bothering him constantly since Annie had told her story.

But the human didn’t get a reply, just eyes continuing to watch him. They were so deep, Eren realized, as he almost got lost into them again.

“If you’d met her… 200 years ago, on the sea… would you have… ‘taken her?” The brown haired boy asked after more silence, choosing each word carefully, looking after changes in the merman’s expression. Nothing. Then a smirk.

“Maybe,” he said, almost whispering the word out and Eren couldn’t help himself but to swallow.

The sun was completely set by now, the sky just a mix of orange and pink colors above the trees, the water almost pitch black under them. There were fireflies passing over the water outside, just adding to the eerie atmosphere. The sound of waves had stopped and the sound of owls had gotten louder.

“How old are you?” Eren asked, a question he’d asked before but never gotten a proper answer to. The book was lying closed on the floor beside him. Eren moved to roll out the sleeves on his shirt as it was getting colder. If he was smart, he should probably leave. Armin and Mikasa might be wondering where he was, if they ended up actually looking for him he could get into trouble.

“I’m not 200 if that’s what you’re wondering.”

And Eren giggled, actually giggled as he wasn’t ready for the sarcastic answer. It was so comical in the situation. He brought a hand up to move his fingers through his hair. What was he doing, sitting here and talking to this creature that pretty much just admitted to killing humans, his race.

“What am I doing here,” he mumbled out loud, his hands rubbing over his face.

“I agree.”

“Hey, this is land, a boat house to be specific, and I just wanted to read, okay?”

“Really?” the merman asked, raising an eyebrow as Eren dropped his hands down to fall into his lap again, “because, even though you humans don’t have much space to roam the deep sun, there’s still a lot of places for you to go, even on this tiny land,” the merman finished and Eren was so confused.

“Hidden sun? Tiny land? Do you mean Trost?” Eren asked, clueless, tilting his head slightly.

In return he got an eye roll and a groan, followed by; “yes, Trost or whatever you call this land, or city. Deep sun I don’t know what you call, ‘everything’, ‘all the places together’ ”, he said, gesturing around with his finger.

“So you mean the earth?” Eren tried and the other snapped his fingers, nodding.

“Why would you call the earth ‘deep sun’?” Eren asked.

“You humans are so limited, you walk such a small portion of the deep sun. You can’t go below the surface and I’ve never in my entire life seen humans fly. ‘Earth’ is just that, the mud and ground you walk on, which is such a tiny part compared to the rest of deep sun. It would be too complex for your tiny human brain to understand-“

“Hey!”

“- but to put it simple, the bottom of the ocean is very warm, and now I’m talking the very, very deep bottom that you two legs can’t reach. Its heart is basically a sun,” the merman finished, shrugging.

Eren stared at him in disbelief.

Getting up to stand, Eren walked over to where the lamp was lying on the floor, turning on the switch. The sudden light blinded the human, probably the merman too and Eren groaned, holding an arm over his face. He looked up towards the merman who glowered at the light bulb, he also noticed how his hair was almost dry now.

“I-I’m gonna lower this into the water now, because I can’t see anything,” Eren said, taking a very small step towards the edge and the merman.

“Oh, go right ahead,” he replied, amusement visible in his voice, even though his face looked like he wanted to smash the bulb to pieces. Eren stood still, holding the light, looking quite dumbfounded.

“Uhm, well, you’re kinda in the way,” he tried, gesturing with the light source towards the other. But the merman simply tilted his head to the side, like he didn’t understand.

“What do you mean?”

Eren silently groaned, slumping his shoulders. There was no way he was stepping into reach of the other, let alone leaning over the edge right beside him to lower the cable.

Then he got an idea and carefully put the bulb in the cage down onto the floor boards.

He grabbed the hook with the long rod attached to it and turned it carefully around in the room, not to hit anything on the walls, and picked up the bulb by the cage.

“Aha,” Eren slowly moved it towards the merman who all but glared at the object now directly in front of him, then staring at Eren with a look that said ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

Eren smirked and brought the rod forwards, intending to push it into the merman’s face but a quick hand snapped up and grabbed the rod, eyes on Eren.

“Move,” Eren tested and the silver eyes narrowed. Then followed a long staring competition which ended in Eren just shaking the rod a bit, almost whining for the other to let go. To his surprise the glare broke to be replaced by a roll of eyes and then he pushed himself off the edge, a splash following.

Eren carefully tilted the rod downwards, carefully stepping forwards as he didn’t want to just drop the bulb to the surface. Then something grabbed it again and he heard a groan.

“Stop, I’ve got it,” a voice said and Eren felt the weight on the rod disappear. The light from the lamp got gradually weaker as the merman brought it under water. Eren gripped the rod and turned to put in back in place again. Eren bit his lip as he had a hard time reaching up to the two hooks on the wall where it originally were. After he stood on his toes, finally reaching one end and almost dropping the other end in the movement, he finally got it in place. Not before knocking a rusty scissor off the wall. Eren was reaching down for the scissor to his left when he noticed something behind him.

Reflexes got the best of him and he threw himself back against the wall, one of the barrels to his right, his back slamming hard again a shovel or whatever was placed there. It hurt, badly but he didn’t have time to think about that as the danger in front of him was much more important.

Eren’s breath hitched and he pressing himself, arms and all, flat against the wall, squirming to bring his knees as close to his chest as possible as he has fallen down sitting, while reacting so clumsily. He pressed his palms against the wall, holding his breath as he took in the person in front of him.

There, on the floor, where Eren had stepped many times before, the merman was now sitting, his tail swiveling in front of him to the left and then disappearing over the edge, the end of his fin probably hanging in the air. He was supporting himself on one arms, his right placed against the floor. It didn’t look heavy though, as he probably could support himself fine with his tail, it was all muscle after all. And scales.

There was a small, cocky smirk placed on his lips and Eren told himself, over and over, that if the merman moved again, closer, he would get up and run. The other was within arm reach but Eren convinced himself he would be fast enough.

Just as he knew what Eren was thinking he flipped his end fin up on the planks and Eren’s head snapped to the left to look at it. With the calm light of the bulb, there wasn’t much reflecting of his scales, but his fin was colorful and shone on its own, it seemed.

Eren suddenly hiccupped into the silence. He didn’t, for some reason, dare to meet the other’s eyes, but kept them on the merman’s collar bones. He cold vaguely see that the other wasn’t smirking or smiling any more. He hoped he was just teasing, that it was all fun and games, but Eren couldn’t relax, not yet. He was a mouse under a cat’s eyes.

Then came the next hiccup and he embarrassedly covered his mouth, feeling how cold his hands actually were, making him shiver again. There was a sigh after a moment and then Eren saw that the other was moving. As he promised himself earlier, if the other moved, he would run. But Eren’s legs didn’t listen, he was so tense that he couldn’t even move at all. But then he almost screamed as a large fin landed in his lap.

He froze in his position, arms lifted into the air as he looked up at the other. The merman had moved around and was now sitting on his butt (at least Eren assumed the butt would be places somewhere over there), like Eren and had kicked his entire fin towards Eren, the end fin landing in Eren’s lap.

“Calm down,” he simply said, as if Eren was being dramatic, “I’m giving you some trust here. I wouldn’t do this unless I didn’t trust you,” he said, looking a bit bored as he flopped his fin up and down again, the material very alien against Eren’s legs. The human kept his hands frozen in place, above the fin, not knowing if he was even allowed to touch it.

“…or because you underestimate me,” Eren added.

There was a huff of air and smile, genuine smile from the other as a reply; “Maybe that too,” he said.

Eren looked down at the giant fin in his lap, then back up to the merman, then back to the fin. Slowly he brought his hands down to it, and carefully stroke his finger tips on the surface. It was very smooth, a bit slippery but softer than he had expected. He traced one pattern of gold with his finger, not realizing his jaw slowly falling open as he inspected the colors in front of him.

His other hand traced a bit higher and he noticed the fin was gradually fading into bigger scales, as his finger couldn’t slide against the surface without catching on the small, sharp edges and he didn’t want to end up cutting himself.

“Beautiful,” he thought, but quickly realized it wasn’t something that had stayed in his head at all, as he had actually mumbled it out loud. He snapped his eyes back up and the merman in front of him was now leaning back on his arms, eyes watching Eren.

“-uhm, I mean… I-uhh,” he tried, feeling the heat spread on his face.

“Thank you,” the merman said, giving Eren a small smile. Eren closed his mouth and stared a bit dumbfounded back down at the tail.

“Uh, yeah, no problem,” he mumbled, awkwardly scratching his neck.

They then sat like that for a while, Eren following the patterns with his finger tips and memorizing them, the merman slowly leaning back and closing his eyes. The human supposed he was basically giving the other a foot massage or something, which in all ways, was very weird. How had it come to this? Of all things?

Eren didn’t want to break the silence but he was getting a bit concerned at how dry the fin in his hands now was. After some more minutes passed he opened his mouth, coughing at first to get the other’s attention, which he did.

“You’re getting a bit dry, is that okay, uhm, merman?” he quietly asked, meeting his eyes. The other smirked again, moving his fin up then dropping it down in his lap again.

“It’s Levi,” he casually dropped, “look at you, all concerned for the big scary merman,” he said and then and of all things, _yawned_. Eren couldn’t help but to stare at the sharp fangs the other sported, as his mouth was turned wide open.

Levi, he learned his name, just like that.

“Uhh, you’re not that big but, sure,” Eren tried and chuckled as he got smacked by the fin in his lap.

“You little shit,” he threw back but smirking none the less.

Eren took a leap of faith and tested his limits, pinching the fin at the end. The other just scoffed.

“Doesn’t hurt, just like cutting your hair doesn’t.”

Eren then proceeded to pinch him a bit higher on the fin, this got him a full-on shove instead, he grinned as Levi just rolled his eyes.

“But you are right, I’m getting dry and disgusting,” he said, moved back a bit before he fell, back fist into the water, fin and all following. Eren felt a bit cold after his only source of warmth left and he stood up, dusting off his pants.

A head emerged from the surface and Eren stepped towards the edge, as to sit down.

“Maybe I could… maybe-“ but Eren’s suggestion was interrupted by a stern and loud command.

“Stop.”

The merman had raised a hand and slowly turned his head around, staring out into the sea. Eren wondered what he was looking at, and got a bit annoyed, wondering why he was interrupted. Then he saw it, two heads gradually raising from the surface, a bit far out in the lake, but that was definitely two human looking heads, eyes watching Eren.

No, not human, merman.

Levi gave Eren a look and moved his head as in saying; ‘go, leave’ and Eren backed towards the door, looking up to meet the two set of eyes on the lake again, before turning around, opening the door to the boat house and closing it after him.


	10. A three course meal

As Eren was halfway through the wheat field, trying to see where he put his feet in the darkness, he almost jumped a thousand meters into the air as two hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

“Holy mother of-“ Eren yelled, staring forwards at Mikasa who looked ready to kill him. It was completely dark outside and at first the boy hadn’t recognized her face, now that he did he feared his life.

“What were you doing there?” She asked between closed teeth, her grip on his shoulders getting tighter. Eren didn’t answer as he didn’t know what to say, but his eyes followed movement to Mikasa’s right, Jean walking towards them with a lantern in his hand.

“Are you serious? The shit-face was here all the time? What did I say?” He asked, putting a hand on his hip, staring with an unimpressed expression at Eren.

“No, I wasn’t,” Eren growled back, staring right back at Jean, who then raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really now?”

“I… I was just on the way here,” Eren replied, looking down, trying to sound guilty and sorry at the same time, silence following his words.

“Why?” Mikasa said after some time and Eren just shrugged his shoulders.

“I just got curious,” he said into the silent night, feeling Mikasa’s hands drop from his arms. He looked up as he saw her move. She grabbed his hand, turning around and started walking towards the city, Jean groaning to their left and following behind.

“Fucking hell, Eren,” he mumbled, the light casting shadows throughout the field and on the road where Armin was waiting as well.

Apparently the three had been looking for him for a while now. Maybe Armin had somehow got contact with Jean and discovered Eren was with neither of them, meaning he was up to something.

Eren wondered why Mikasa was out so late, but he didn’t dare to ask. She was already pissed as it was. He was only happy they seemed to believe his lie. Or at least didn’t bring it up again.

*-*-*-*-*  
And then Eren got caught again, only a week later.

He was eager to make his way to the boat house, trying not to hurry through his breakfast too much, Armin giving him weird looks opposite of him.

Walking down the gravel road and jogging through the wheat field Eren finally reached the boat house, licking his lips before grabbing the handle.

Eren didn’t give the slightly ajar door a second through before he opened it, staring into the face of Jean.

“Ahhh!” both boys exclaimed, Eren jumping backwards and Jean throwing his hands up to protect himself.

“What the hell, Eren?!” Jean screamed and stepped outside the boat house, Marco following him, looking at the two boys.

“What are you doing here?” Eren asked, trying to prevent his voice from breaking, Marco giving him a weird look.

“We just wanted to check it out, it’s none of your business,” Jean sneered, stomping towards the forest path, his face heating up.

Eren gave Marco a questioning look and Marco laughed nervously, shrugging.

“This is the first time we went here, after the accident last time. Jean just wanted to check it out but… Eren, what are you doing here?”

“I… uhh, I actually find the boathouse to be a good studying spot- don’t worry! I haven’t seen anything or… anyone weird ever since! And I would _never_ jump into the water, don’t worry, Marco,” Eren said, a little too rushed. But Marco didn’t seem to notice anything odd and waved a goodbye, following Jean back towards the village.

“Shit,” Eren breathed as he closed the door behind him, leaning against it. There had been dark clouds over Trost this morning and the wind was tugging at the tree tops. Eren could hear the water hitting rocks and planks under him. The waves made it mostly impossible to see down into the water and Eren groaned, not in the mood of waiting for hours for Levi to show up.

“Levi?” He tried, surprised by his own voice in the otherwise silent place he walked back to the door, opened it and made sure no one was outside or close, listening. He walked back towards the edge and tried again.

Nothing.

Eren waited a few minutes before he had picked up most of the fishing equipment, fiddled with it and put it back, groaning every time.

“Levi?” He tried again, getting no answer this time either.

After another minute Eren was grumpy and exited the house, hanging the broken lock on the door again after him.

It was getting closer to lunch time and Eren hid his hands in his pockets, heading towards the orphanage. He heard noises coming from the gravel road in front of him but after getting closer he could make out people yelling and groaning.

“Get back here, you son of a whore!” someone yelled and Eren gulped, trying to see who were fighting on the road. The exit from the field was closing in and he saw a carriage lying on the ground. Then two men appeared, both with cloth covering half their faces, from the nose and down. One of them was wielding a big knife, the other one holding a rope and a bag in his other hand.

“Give us your damn watch and we’ll leave you alone,” the man with the knife said, trying to sound intimidating but keeping his voice down.

“I will beat your asses, boys,” another voice yelled, full out loud and annoyed and Eren thought it sounded a bit like merchant Mike, the guy who sold fresh carrots and cabbage every morning in town, along with other vegetables. He had the best pear tree in town and the boys usually tried nicking some for free, but most times ended up being caught by Mike.

Eren gasped when he heard a loud bang, followed by Mike’s cursing stopping completely. He carefully took a couple steps forwards to see more and there, on the ground Mike was lying, face in the mud.

“Eric? What the hell!” The man with the knife hissed to a third guy with a thick beard, who was standing behind Mike, holding a stone in his hand.

“What was I supposed to do? He was attracting the entire godforsaken village, idiot,” the bearded man said, but even Eren could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“This is not what Martin said-“

“What the hell?” The guy with the rope suddenly said, a bit louder and Eren looked over to him, only to meet his eyes.

Oh shit.

“Kid!” The man with the knife said, his voice a warning.

“Get him!” Eric shouted and Eren was on his feet in seconds, running back through the field, his pulse speeding up as he was fearing for his life.

“I didn’t see anything!” he yelled back and took the right turn towards the boat house, it was clear the men would catch up to him and Eren was starting to panic. What was he supposed to do when he reached the boat house? Shut himself inside, he would barely be able to hold the doors closed against three grown men.

But Eren didn’t have much time to think as the familiar doors were already approaching in front of him. Turning either left or right would leave him nowhere, except make it easier for the men to catch up with him.

“Fuck,” Eren cried as he hit the door, hands shaking to get the lock of and open it.

“Kid, you better-“ a raspy voice said behind him and Eren could feel someone grab his left arm just as he got the door open.

“Let me go!” Eren successfully shook the hand of him and slid inside, throwing the door open on the man’s face.

He took to the right when he entered and backed up against the wall, standing close to where Eren had first been pulled him into the water, the three men now entering the boathouse.

“Don’t even think about jumping into the water,” the bearded man, Eric said. He looked furious. The other two seemed uncertain what to do as they breathed a little louder than usual after the running.

“Don’t hurt me,” Eren said, occasionally looking down into the water.

“If you tell anyone, we’ll kill you!” the guy with the rope yelled and Eric turned around, furrowing his eyebrows.

“The brat is going to tell everyone either way, let’s just get him. We’ll all be hung if he runs free,” Eric yelled and Eren gasped as took a step towards him.

So Eren did the only thing he could think of, jump into the water.

He could hear yelling behind him and as soon as he got to the surface he could hear splashes behind him, screaming as one of the fishing spears pierced the water just to his right.

“Get him!” Someone yelled and Eren didn’t dare to look back as he swam for his life, out towards the deeper waters of the lake.

After just a few moments he heard a scream of terror behind him and tried twisting his head enough so he could see, but to continue swimming at the same time. He didn’t succeed and quickly spun around, ready to start swimming again.

The smaller man was closest to him, but he had stopped and was looking back towards the boat house as well. The bearded man was swimming towards them, rage in his eyes. Behind him there were rings on the water, as if someone had just dove inside.

But no one came up, and there was no sight of the third man in the boat house.

“Where’s Lee?!” The man closest to Eren yelled and Eric didn’t seem to even hear him, starting to close in on him.

Suddenly Eren felt something slide against both his legs before disappearing, and the next moment the smaller guy was pulled underwater, he didn’t even have time to scream.

“Holy-“ Eren screamed and started swimming again and Eric closed in.

“You fucking brat, stop!” Eric yelled, still not seeming to care about his friends just disappearing. Eren then felt something against his feet again and this time he thought quickly, taking a deep breath. And just as expected, he was pulled under water, two strong hands on his ankles pulling him down with speed, his ears starting to hurt immediately as he got too deep. He had forgotten to shut his eyes but it was too dark to see anything, he just saw the soft light of the surface when he turned his head upwards.

He tried to reach down for the hands holding his feet but they wouldn’t budge. He struggled, trying to dig his nails into the fingers but the hands didn’t move. The next moment, however, he was dropped and someone slammed into him from the side, the force enough for Eren to yell into the water in pain, air escaping from his lungs and mouth.

His lungs desperately tried to suck in air but all he got was water, starting to cough instead, which made more water enter his lungs.

He was drowning.

He was dying.

Eren tried to ignore his screaming lungs and head that was getting lighter with every second passing and tried to swim towards the surface. He couldn’t see anything anymore but he was swimming towards something, he just hoped it was upwards.

Then something grabbed his shoulders, turning him around and two arms slipped under his arms, Eren trying to fight them off, but he was too weak to, feeling like he could fall asleep any moment.

It would be so nice, to just fall asleep.

Something repeatedly hit the insides of his legs and then he could suddenly hear again, the sounds were incredibly loud around him and he furrowed his eyebrows, just wanting to fall asleep.

Someone was talking to him, no yelling at him, but Eren just wanted to be left alone, to sleep. Then something hit him in the back, much harder and Eren could feel his body bracing itself before throwing up. He crawled to his knees and hands – wait, when did he get on land? - and heaved.

Water escaped his lungs and stomach and it _hurt_ , it hurt really badly.

Someone had a hand on his back and he imagined it would be Mikasa, trying to calm him down only to scold him when she knew he was fine.

After he had emptied his lungs and stomach enough he panted for air, still coughing every now and then. He still hadn’t opened his eyes. How did you do that again?

Eren shivered as he noticed he was freezing cold, falling down to the side to hug himself close.

Still coughing he opened his eyes as he remembered Eric was still after him, pain stinging in them. Everything was blurry and it was impossible to see anything.

But he saw _someone_ blurry cover his view and Eren whined, holding up two hands in front of him. He tried to get out a ‘please’ or something but all he could do was cough.

“Eren, calm down,” a deep voice said, hands now on his shoulders. The palms were warm and Eren blinked, trying to make sense of the face in front of him.

“Levi?” He tried, only a whisper escaping his lips.

“Brat,” the other greeted and Eren could feel his limbs giving up, falling against the hard rocks. His body took Levi’s presence as enough safety to finally give in, and blackness infesting Eren’s vision.

***-***-***

The first sense he got back was hearing as slowly he recognized the sounds as birds singing, then the wind moving in the trees, through the leaves and lastly the waves hitting the shore. Then his eyes slowly opened on their own accord, his view consisting, of a branch of some sort, completely covered in green leaves which were dancing in the wind.

He didn’t want to move yet, it felt so peaceful to just lay here. He was resting on something soft, probably grass, he thought.

It was peaceful.

But slowly everything came back to him, Mike, the three thieves, Levi. Someone had tried to drown him, Levi? But then why bother go through everything else just to save him? Had someone else done it? Probably, Levi couldn’t go possibly drown all three - four with Eren - men by himself.

 

“Brat,” someone said beside him and Eren recognized the voice. He was too tired to turn his head, he took a few deep breaths before trying a reply.

“Yes?” he whispered out.

“What were you doing today, exactly?” Levi asked in a calm, composed voice. There was humour somewhere in there and it was enough to make Eren smile.

“I’m not exactly sure. Did you drown me?” he asked and the silence was enough of a reply.

Eren took a deep breath before rolling to the side he thought Levi was on, and there in front of him the merman was indeed lying beside him, fin moving in the water just below Eren’s feet.

Lying beside each other like this made the human realize how much taller the merman was, or _longer_ as he had told the merman was a more correct term for his body. Levi was placed a bit above him, looking down at him with dark eyes, and his fin reached far below Eren’s feet, the colours beautiful in the sunlight.

“Or was it someone else?” He whispered and Levi didn’t reply for a minute.

“Why would I drown you only to save you?” Levi asked, his voice low but more steady than Eren’s whispering.

“So it was one of your friends?” And Levi just watched him.

Eren gave it up, he knew he was the victim and the mermen the predators, jumping into the water had been his own choice and a sort of final solution. At the time he’d taken the chance as his only one, that he could either let the three men kill him, or take his chance and hope Levi was nearby.

“Did you kill the other three men?” He just had to ask, closing his eyes as they were starting to sting again. His body was starting to catch up about now and apart from still freezing he was hurting badly in his right side, and his throat and lungs felt really, _really_ sore.

“Yes,” Levi simply replied.

“Do you eat humans?”

“I think you would have figured that out by now.”

“Do _you_?”

“Yes.”

Eren’s breath hitched and he tried to play it off, breathing in, breathing out. He was trembling to open his eyes but succeeded in keeping them close. For all he knew Levi could just kill him right there, he was food, right?

“Did you eat them? The three thieves?”

“No.”

“No, because you were busy taking care of me.”

And then no reply.

“I’m sorry,” Eren whined and scooted closer to Levi, putting his head against his chest, a daring move, “I bring you dinner and then you end up having to take care of me instead,” he sighed and he could feel Levi laugh in front of him, a hand sliding over his head, sort of patting him.

“You’re a pretty bad human, kid,” he said, his fin moving closer to Eren, warm enough for the human to be pleased.

“According to those calculations, you’re a pretty bad merman as well,” he replied, feeling himself fall deeper into sleep again.

“Eren, you can’t sleep. The humans are probably looking for you, don’t be a child,” he added as Eren whined against him.

“But I’m tired,” he dragged out on the words, trying to wiggle closer to Levi.

“And I don’t give a shit, get up, I’m not going to drag you down to the water again.

The words made Eren look up, as Levi turned to his side to kind of roll back into the water. It gave the human a better view of where he was, the rocks underneath them disappearing down under the water. A part of the lake Eren wasn’t sure he had seen before was in front of him, and he wondered where the heck he was. He was pretty sure the trees he saw on the other side were the ones along the field he passed every day to get to the boat house.

Wait, was he on the island? The other side, where the baker lived?

“Did you take me to Ragarok?” he asked, watching Levi.

“I have no clue what you call it, but it’s opposite of your land. Now, do you want help to get back or not?” Levi asked, looking mildly pissed from his position in the water, only his head above it. It seemed pretty shallow and he was quite far out.

Eren stood up but the he paused, he knew Levi’s friends were out there, and whoever had tried to drown and kill him before. He wasn’t exactly eager to jump into the water. But he didn’t exactly have a choice, he needed to get back somehow.

“If you’re thinking about asking me to go get a boat you can just swim by yourself, I’m not that nice. Plus, it’s just as easy to turn a boat upside down for us as to take you when you’re swimming. Just a little louder, perhaps.

Eren stared out into the water behind Levi, the waves were small but the current probably strong, and under that dark water anyone could hide. He imagined getting halfway out before getting pulled down again, or Levi dropping him, maybe even pulling him down himself. Eren might be a curious idiot, not much thought for his own safety, but he wasn’t actually suicidal.

“Uh…”

“Eren, get your ass into the water. No one is going to touch you, trust me,” Levi groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I’m… you’re nice, Levi, but I’m not sure I fully trust you, as you kind of, well, eat my sort. And how do you know no one else is going to just… drown me,” Eren said, his voice shaking slightly. Levi was getting frustrated but he seemed to be patient with Eren on this, it was reasonable that the kid didn’t want to get into the water.

“Have you seen me Eren? I’m terrifying, no one messes with me even underwater. I’ve got authority in our group, so if anyone opposes of me, I’ll rip their faces off. Don’t worry, the guy who pulled you down earlier knows that now-“

“Did you kill him?!” Eren exclaimed in shock and Levi made a face as he was interrupted.

“No, idiot, but he didn’t know you were off the menu. Now you can either walk down here or I’ll actually come up and drag you down, which is going to be much more-“ and Levi didn’t get to finish his words as Eren replied “Yes!” and carefully made his way into the water.

“I’m actually putting my life in your hands right now, like… this is kind of insane,” Eren hissed as he walked down beside Levi, the water was cold and he was still tired. The stream was incredibly strong and Eren wasn’t sure where to go exactly, but when he had water up to his bellybutton he sat down.

Levi looked at him from beside him and Eren smiled sheepishly, and before he moved Eren could see and eye roll combined with a small smile on his face. He disappeared under water and Eren stared at the spot where he had disappeared, waiting for something to happen. He could see Levi’s fin pass him and he looked down after it.

Two hands pushed at his hips from behind to move forwards, and Eren carefully walked until he stood straight and had water to his shoulders, he was afraid he would slip and just get pulled with the torrent but Levi’s hands were firm on his hips, then they slid down lower to his knees and parted his legs, Eren made a confused expression before he yelped as Levi slid in between.

“Hold on to my neck, but don’t strangle me. And if you touch my gills I’ll let you swim on your own,” Levi said as he emerged from the surface in front of him. Eren threw his arms around Levi’s neck, holding on for dear life.

He didn’t know where to put his legs or what to do with them as he tried to swim with them at first, which just ended up with him kicking Levi’s tail, the merman growling for him to stop. When he did nothing he just felt heavy, Levi was swimming fast, but it had to be frustrating for him to swim with his upper body over water, to keep the human from drowning. Eren got water in his mouth and started coughing once but other than that, Levi seemed to really try.

“Am I heavy?” Eren asked next to Levi’s ear and the merman huffed. Eren was afraid to cut himself on Levi’s back fin, which he knew was giant. Levi was obviously able to control it and kept it pressed against his back, but it didn’t keep Eren from squirming.

“Okay, sit up straight, higher up and hold onto my shoulders with only your hands, this going to fucking slow,” Levi commanded before his head disappeared under water.

Eren did as told but leaned slightly forwards a bit as they definitely picked up speed.

If anyone were to see them now, or just Eren, it surely must look strange, and Eren would probably get hanged in town for witchcraft, riding a horse under water or whatever it looked like.

They were closing in on the other side and Levi turned slightly to the right, where they followed the stream until Eren could see the boat house. He had tried to ignore his thoughts about what he was supposed to do when he got back, he didn’t know how long he had been gone, if anyone had seen it. Surely someone must have found Mike’s body by now, Eren hoped he hadn’t died from the blow.

Suddenly Levi stopped and Eren didn’t even have time to scream as he was launched into the air and hitting the water again. He struggled to swim up to the surface and spun around to look for Levi. The merman grinned at him and swam towards the boat house, Eren struggling to follow. The torrent wasn’t as strong on this side, but he was still slow as a snail compared to Levi. And he was kicking his feet a bit too hard as he still imagined someone grabbing them and pulling him down again.

He reached Levi, his breathing a little heavier than usual and swam into the house, under the doors.

Eren didn’t know what he was expecting in there, but it wasn’t Armin, Marco and Jean.

“Eren,” Armin exclaimed, his face in complete shock. He was standing by the edge, holding a rope with Jean and Marco looking through the bag of money the thieves probably left there, together with one pair of shoes and the knife.

Eren couldn’t get anything out, he didn’t know what to say and neither seemed anyone else, he couldn’t see Levi but he was surely somewhere here.

“Uh,” was all he got out after a moment.

Silence.

Then Armin exploded.

“Eren, what the fuck!? What happened? What are you doing in the water?” For Armin to swear it was surely a sight, Eren just didn’t like the fact that it was about him. Jean dropped the bag and looked around him, probably trying to find something to pull Eren up with. The rope Armin was holding would work but it would be a lot of effort.

“Hi, Armin,” Eren smiled awkwardly and then he turned around, looking down the water.

“Levi?” he asked. He didn’t know what Levi’s opinion in all of this was, if he wanted to be seen by his human friends or not. He doubted Levi thought of them as any threat apart from telling the entire village, the mermen were still a much bigger danger to the humans than opposite, even if the humans somehow tried to start a war against them. The water was their territory and the humans didn’t have a chance.

“Yeah?” a voice said to his left and Eren turned to look at him, his grey eyes on his.

“Oh my god, get out of the water,” Jean yelled from the deck and Eren grimaced with the loudness of it. The door was closed behind Marco but maybe there were more people looking for him. Keeping this secret between these 3 humans would be impossible enough.

“Shut up, horse face,” he scowled at him and looked back to a clearly amused Levi, “could you give me a hand?” he asked, trying to not sound too needy, even though he was.

“Tell your friend to move, then,” Levi replied and nodded his head towards Armin who stood right by the edge, face still full of horror.

“Armin, move,” Eren asked as he watched Levi disappear under water. He had done this once before and knew to lock his legs this time. He felt Levi hold onto them and waited for him to move.

The next second he flew out of the water.

Water splashed everywhere and Jean made a noise as some of it hit him, and Eren was on the floorboards, crawling forwards.

“What the hell,” Armin breathed as he kneed down beside Eren, holding his shoulders.

Eren scrambled to his feet and walked back to the edge, annoyed when Armin grabbed his arm again, pulling himself free. He turned and gave the blonde a look while shaking his hand off, then proceeded towards the water.

“Thanks,” he said, not sure what to say when the other three were around.

“Thanks for the meal,” Levi winked before diving under water, Eren following the movement of colour underneath the surface, out under the boat doors.

He turned and looked at all three of his friends, biting his lip. Eren had some serious explaining to do.


	11. Confessions

“Uhh,” was all Eren was able to get out before Armin started yelling again, lowering his voice only slightly.

“Are you suicidal or what the hell is this?! Is this where you have been sneaking around to all the time?” 

Eren didn’t know what to say, he had pretty much been caught in the act, doing something very reckless. If something actually happened to him, as he feared in the beginning, he wouldn’t be the one who took it the hardest. If he died because of his stupid curiosity, shame on him, but Armin and Mikasa would be left with the aftermath. Losing their best friend, their brother. 

The waves were smashing under them and Eren briefly wondered if Levi stayed behind to listen or actually left. He lifted his gaze from the floorboards up to Marco and Jean but they both looked speechless.

“Armin. Please, I’m- Let me explain,” Eren pleaded, his voice breaking mid-sentence as he still felt incredibly sore. He was freezing in his still wet clothes, holding his arms around himself. But mostly he was ashamed. 

“You’re telling me everything, right now. What were you thinking?” Armin demanded and Eren almost winced at his voice, but he felt a punch to the stomach as he noticed Armin’s eyes were tearing up. Eren took a step forwards and grabbed for Armin’s hand, happy but surprised when the blond let him. 

“Armin, I think Eren needs a change of clothes before he gets sick,” Marco whispered from his spot by the door, Jean looking at him while Armin closed his eyes, took a deep breath and gripped Eren’s hand tighter, pulling him along towards the exit. Jean followed behind them as Marco took the lead towards the orphanage. 

“No,” Jean suddenly said when they had reached the end of the wheat field and Marco made a turn left, Jean’s voice barely a mumble, “let’s go to my place instead,” he said and they all nodded, changing route to Jean’s house. 

“What happened to Mike? The cart is gone b-but,” Eren asked when they had passed the gravel road, Eren’s eyes falling on the red stain on the ground. There was no cart, no body, nothing left from the fight apart from the red smudge. 

“Mike is fine, no one had any idea what happened, there was no trail, no nothing. We knew, however, that the boat house was close. We found the money and other stuff, we just couldn’t figure out why they would leave it there. Did you hide from them or something?” Armin asked. 

“Something like that,” Eren was not letting go of Armin’s hand even when the blond moved to dust off his shirt. He gave his brown-haired friend a small, annoyed look before managing with one hand. 

 

*-*-*-*

“My, my. Look who’s already back,” a smooth voice called and Eren turned around, not finding the source of it. He spun another time and finally caught the piercing eyes reflected in the water surface. The wind calmed down around him and Eren felt a rush of excitement as he walked closer to Levi, the merman resting his arms and head on a rock by the shore. 

“I see you bought a friend,” he smiled and Eren furrowed his eyebrows, looking towards where Levi had turned his head at. 

“Armin?” Eren whispered as he watched Armin run towards the waves, laughing and grinning, just like he always used to. Behind him in tow Mikasa followed, her smile hidden behind the giant scarf she always wore. Young Eren followed as well, all three children running towards the beach to play in the water, to build things with the rocks and sand, to enjoy the warm summer days. 

Eren felt an eerie feeling hit him, like something was wrong as he watched himself play with his two best friends, no one noticing him or Levi where they were watching from the side. He turned his head to look at Levi but realized he was gone, again looking around like a lost child. He jumped when a chilling scream erupted, turning towards it in time to see Armin getting dragged down into the water by the most graceful, strong and beautiful creature Eren had ever seen. And Levi himself was smiling, the hunger in his eyes evident, the enjoyment more so. 

Armin was pulled down under but Eren couldn’t even move, couldn’t do anything but watch as young Eren and Mikasa screamed for their lives, watching as Armin disappeared. The next second the surface was coloured red and Eren gasped as he realized he himself was in water, his legs kicking to get free. He had to get free. He didn’t want to die.

Sitting up in the bed Eren found himself panting for air, sweat rolling down his forehead, the bedsheets sticking to his legs. He kicked them down to the end of the bed, looking around in the dark room. 

It was only a nightmare, hell, Eren was aware it was a dream as watched himself on the beach. 

Someone stirred in the bed under him and Eren sighed, trying to calm himself down. From what he could see through the thin fabric that was hanging over the window the sun was just beginning to set. He looked down at his hands, rubbing at his wrist with weak fingers. 

Eren remembered falling asleep after they got to Jean’s place. He had explained everything the second he entered the living room, after putting on some dry clothes. He answered anything Armin asked, he felt like he was at least obliged to do that, Eren was interrogated for the rest of the evening. They curled up in Jean’s bedroom together when his mother came home and started cooking dinner, making enough for the four boys. 

Eren told them about how he had successfully held a conversation with the merman a while back, that his name was Levi and… that he actually hadn’t learned much about the man himself. He was too embarrassed to tell them about how he had fallen into the water in his own clumsiness, even though Levi had helped him up he knew Armin would get even more furious at his recklessness. Instead he told them about this morning, that after he had bumped into Marco and Jean and hadn’t seen the merman around, he had turned back to head home but caught sight of the fight happening by the road. He had watched Mike get hit and the next moment got spotted by one of the men. Eren told Armin he had tried to run towards the boat house to hide at first but that they caught up to him, almost got him when he was trying to get the door open. In the end Eren just admitted to jumping into the water, he didn’t seem to have anything to lose as he remembered one of the guys straight up saying something about killing him either way. 

“We’re all just happy you’re okay Eren. So the merman saved you?” Marco asked and Eren picked at a thread on his pants, or Jean’s pants that he was wearing, and nodded. 

“It didn’t take long before the three thieves were pulled under water, I was terrified it would happen to me… I-I actually… did get pulled down, not for long though,” he hurried to add. 

“But he saved me, he did,” Eren murmured, pulling Jean’s covers higher up over his shoulders. 

Jean, to his surprise, kept mostly quiet the entire time. Eren had expected some sort of teasing or joking but there was nothing. 

“So the other three men are gone?” Armin asked after a moment and Eren nodded. 

“Yeah, they got caught. Pretty fast...” Eren said and bit his lip. It was weird, the men might have been ruthless thieves and murderers, yet Eren theoretically had three deaths on his shoulders. He knew what would happen if he led them into the water, he was luring them into a trap, right into the spider’s web. 

“I understand if you want to warn people, about what happened. About them. I’m sure Mike wants to know what happened too,” Eren said after a moment of silence. 

“Well, that’s the problem,” Jean groaned as he was sitting with his legs crossed beside Eren, his elbow on his knee, “I don’t think this is going to change much. We’ve had two, three people disappearing, probably killed in the water, but there’s no proof. What makes this any different? Until the people of Trost actually see a mer- a mer-what? Mermaid? They won’t believe anything.”

“Jean’s right, all we can do is try to warn people not swim in the lake or go down there themselves,” Marco added, his hands clasped in his lap. 

“But then again Trost is reliant in their imports and exports by water, our port is what we’re well-known for,” Armin said, rubbing a hand across his face.

“I’m gonna hand Mike his money back tomorrow, he was still in Grisha’s house after we found you so…” Jean said, biting his lip. 

“What are you gonna do, Eren? Are you going to try to talk to the merman again?” Marco asked, Eren looking up. 

“I-“

“Eren,” Armin warned from beside him. 

“Armin, look. He went through all the trouble to save me, he even told me he had ‘authority’ in his group. I doubt he would just kill me on the spot the next time I see him. I can get information, at least ask why they kill humans-“

“You know we haven’t actually gotten any proof that they do,” Marco said and the room got silent. 

“We’re just making the assumption they are. The man in the boat could have actually drowned, if he was drunk enough, and Mina… she might have actually taken her own life, I don’t like to think so but… it’s what most people believe.”

Eren didn’t say anything but he had proof, Levi had straight up admitted that they do in fact, kill and eat humans. But he didn’t say anything. He kept quiet as they crawled into bed, letting Eren have the smaller top bunk for himself while the other three crawled down together in Jean’s bed. Eren didn’t want to say it but he would have much rather cramped together with another person tonight. But his friends thought they were doing him a favour by letting him have a bed for himself. 

Eren ended up hugging a second pillow the rest of the entire night. 

 

*-*-*-*-*

It was an awfully quiet breakfast that morning, Jean’s parents had gone early and they were left alone in the cabin. They were sitting by the table as Jean was beating eggs in the pan, the gas stove making small noises as the fire popped. 

“What are you going to do?” Armin asked, looking at Eren. 

“I… I’m not sure,” Eren said as he stared at the tomato on his plate. He really, wasn’t sure. 

Eren had a shift at the tavern together with Jean that evening and as it got near closing hours their friends showed up to hang by the bar where Jean was filling in the check-book, counting the receipts as Eren refilled some of the baskets of fruit. 

“So you actually spoke to him, Holy Maria,” Connie said in awe, hanging over the bar. The restaurant was mostly empty, there was a couple sitting by the window and a drunk guy reading a newspaper in the corner, talking to himself. His name was Fred and he was a regular, mostly a nice guy who told the same stories over and over to Jean and the other waiters. 

“Yeah, his English is just as good as ours,” Eren said, rearranging the apples before he put the baskets on the bar in the corner, pointing a stern finger at Sasha which meant ‘don’t fucking think about it’ and Connie chuckled beside her.

“So they’ve been living here, all this time, killing humans?” Mikasa asked from her seat beside Sasha, Annie sipping from her glass of cider to the left of Mikasa.

“We don’t actually know that,” Jean said as he closed the book, loosening the apron around his neck. 

“What about Mike?” Marco asked and Jean shrugged. 

“He didn’t even ask about the three thieves, he just assumed they had gotten caught by the guards or whatever.”

“Let’s just try to… prevent people from going alone to the lake to swim, fish or whatever,” Eren said and his friends nodded. 

“Well, that’s gonna be hard as we’re going to Ragako next week with school. We’re gonna take the old rowing boats to get there as well,” Connie said and everyone looked at him in shock. 

“We always do! Why are you all so surprised?!” 

“No, you’re right, Connie. Do you guys think anything will happen?” Sasha added.

“I… we’re gonna be so many, they can’t possibly expect to get away with turning over boats filled with kids… plus Eren is there,” Armin said, scratching his head. 

“Does he have a thing for you or what?” Connie asked and Eren glared at him. Then he straightened up, pressing his palms against the bar.

“I… I think he’s interested in me for a reason… I think I know why,” Eren said and Jean put down the rug he was using to swipe the bar with to look at him, as the others did. 

“You remember when we were at the rocks, where Hannes disappeared,” Eren asked and looked at Armin and Mikasa who both nodded,” well I remember waking up in the middle of the night and I… I’m pretty sure I saw someone by the water. Mikasa, you woke up too, right? I convinced myself it was a dream because I only saw it quickly,” Eren said, rubbing a hand over his arm as he felt a shiver run down his body. 

“I recognized his eyes, when I saw him the second time. I’m positive it’s him, I asked him about it but he’s avoided the question this far.”

“But that means… do you think he killed Hannes?” Armin asked, concerned eyes following Eren. 

“I think there were more of them, at the rocks, I’m not sure but I know I’m gonna ask him the next time,” Eren said, nodding at his blond friend. 

“No you’re not. There will be no next time,” Mikasa said, her voice cold. 

“Mikasa-“

“No, Eren,” She raised her voice slightly and Eren shut up but kept his eyes on her. 

“Mikasa, I trust Eren and I think we should take advantage of the situation, the creature saved Eren’s life last time-“

“Armin, are you for real? He’s a monster,” Mikasa exclaimed, leaning forwards to look at Armin past Sasha and Connie. 

“Yes, I am. He went out of his way to save Eren, he must have a reason for his interest. Let Eren speak to him, to find out more.”

“I could go there tonight, and if you absolutely need to you can come too. You can wait outside the boat house to know I’m safe-“

“Eren, you know I can’t. I need to be home soon or dad will be worried.”

“Mikasa, I’ll go, we’ll go and we promise we’ll stay close and keep an eye on him,” Jean said, a hand on his hip as he looked at Eren. 

Everyone seemed to agree, Armin nodding and Sasha biting her lip. Mikasa pushed her body away from the bar and jumped down, walking inside the bar where only staff was allowed. Eren expected her to walk up to him but was surprised when she passed him to walk up to Jean, grab his shirt and lean upwards, into his personal space. 

“You better make sure Eren doesn’t get his stupid ass killed,” she growled, narrowing her eyes before turning back and walking out of the bar, Annie following behind, having already finished her cider. 

“We’re gonna do this,” Eren nodded, he tried to keep his voice determined but could feel himself grown anxious. He had talked to Levi before but somehow he felt a little off today. 

***-***-***

After he closed up the bar with Jean he walked directly towards the boat house. Armin had gone to fetch a lantern before the orphanage closed and joined Eren and Jean outside. Marco was there too, to Eren’s surprise, holding a second lantern. The late-summer night was quite warm and Eren shrugged out of his jacket to tie it around his waist as they walked along the gravel road, the rain from today having washed away all traces from Mike’s fight. 

“You need to stay completely silent, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had supernatural hearing as well,” Eren warned before they entered the wheat field. Armin nodded and Jean shrugged. 

With quiet steps Eren and his friends neared the boat house and Eren nodded once to them before opening the door, bringing one lantern inside with him. He closed it behind him and took a quick look over the place before setting his source of light on the same barrel as last time, walking over to the water-lamp. Turning on the bulb Eren also unrolled the cord and took a careful step towards the edge. It was a lot later than he had ever gotten here and the light from both the bulb in the cage and the lantern combined didn’t do much for the black water. 

With a deep breath Eren took another step and swung the lamp over the edge, standing as far away from the edge as he could while he hoisted it down into the water. It landed on the bottom and Eren looked around, only seeing small shoals and algae plants. 

He straightened up and crossed his arms, waited only for a minute or two before he saw movement in the water, something fast and blue shimmering in the light before Levi’s eyes appeared. It was a view Eren had never seen before, as the merman stayed under water, his silver eyes on Eren and his body moving slowly in the water under him. 

“Hi,” Eren whispered but was unsure he could hear him from underneath. His heart rate picked up slightly like it usually did in the merman’s presence, but he convinced himself to stay calm. 

“Do you wanna talk for a little bit?” Eren asked and took a step back as Levi nodded his head towards the side, as a motion for Eren to move, the human following his order. 

The merman disappeared briefly under water but just a couple seconds later he shot out of the water with such speed Eren didn’t even have time to follow with his eyes. But the next second he was sitting on the edge, his tail hanging over the edge. 

“Hi,” Eren repeated with a small smile and Levi looked over at him, waiting for him to come over. But the human didn’t move. 

“Are you scared of me all of a sudden?” Levi asked after a sigh. 

“No, but I feel like I actually should be,” Eren tried and Levi slowly nodded. 

“Probably.”

Eren nodded as well but only waited a short moment before he walked over and sat down next to Levi, his feet dangling over the edge like Levi’s tail did. They had some space between them but not too much, if Eren reached over he could touch Levi. He also realized that Levi came up a little bit shorter than Eren, as they sat on the floor. Levi’s tail was more than double the length of Eren’s legs but his upper torso wasn’t one of a tall person. 

“Do you wanna go for a swim?” Levi asked after no one said anything, Eren was busy thinking about how he should get Levi to answer his questions, as he often avoided doing. 

“How’s the water?” Eren asked, of all things and he could even see the amusement in Levi’s eyes. 

“It should be warm to you, considering its still summer,” Levi said and Eren nodded. 

“Will you keep me safe?” Eren asked, his voice barely a whisper. He knew it would be impossible for Jean and the other to even hear him speaking with Levi in here, but he somehow felt like this was a step in the wrong direction, something he shouldn’t do. 

“It’s been proven to be a lot of work, but sure,” he said, his default blank face turned towards the water. 

“I know you wanna be sarcastic and all, but seriously,” Eren pleaded with such honesty in his voice that Levi fully turned towards him. 

“Of course,” Levi tried instead and Eren nodded, staring at the water before standing up to shrug out of his jacket and shirt while kicking off his shoes. He looked back at the merman who in turn raised an eyebrow before Eren also stepped out of his jeans. He left his underwear on and stepped over to the edge, holding his arms around himself. 

“Do you need those?” Levi asked and Eren looked down to see him pointing at his socks which Eren quickly pulled off, nearly falling over as he danced around with one leg in the air. 

“Do you need that?” Levi then asked, pointing at Eren’s underwear. 

“Yes!” Eren hissed and the merman chuckled before he pushed himself off the edge, into the water. Eren watched as he swum towards the boat doors, surfacing the water there and waiting for Eren. 

“Shit,” he whispered to himself. The splash when Levi fell in had been relatively loud and he wondered if his friends had heard it, thinking he fell in. He looked towards the door which was still closed and then walked over to the edge again, sitting down at first. 

He figured going feet in was the best way but he also didn’t want to hit the bottom, diving was a no and just falling flat would hurt, like the other two times.

Levi seemed a bit impatient but didn’t say anything from his spot as he watched the human struggle. Eren took a couple deep breaths before holding two fingers over his nose and jumping in butt first, shutting his eyes. When he hit the water he released his hand and started swimming upwards. It was cold, not as cold as he had expected but still cold. 

“Ugh,” he shivered as he swam towards Levi, “its fucking cold,” he hissed. 

“Oh?” was all the merman said before turning around and pushing himself forwards under the doors, Eren following behind. He didn’t like going last, he was already stressed out as he imagined someone grabbing his feet any second, trying to swim faster. 

“Wait,” Eren whined and Levi stopped in his tracks, turning around and raising an eyebrow at the human. He’d only gotten a few metres away from the boat house and had taken a slightly right, following the tree line. 

“Please wait,” Eren repeated and swam forwards, grabbing the merman’s arm, holding onto it while he had to kick his feet to keep himself up over the surface.

“Are you sure no one will grab my feet,” Eren asked again, trying not to sound as scared as he already was and failing miserable. Before Levi could reply there was something soft moving against Eren’s toes, the human quietly shrieking while he brought his knees up and grabbed onto Levi’s shoulders. 

“Something touched me!” He hissed as he tried to look down into the water below him. The next second a pair of hands gripped his ankles. 

“Levi!” Eren yelled as he kicked the pair of hands off him and threw his arms around Levi’s neck, moving his legs around the merman’s waist and held on, hiding his face in his neck. 

“Hanji,” Levi growled just beside Eren’s ear and a woman’s cheerful laughter appeared somewhere beside them added by the same voice apologizing. She didn’t sound the least apologetic. 

Eren refused to move and kept his death-grip on Levi who had placed his hands on Eren’s hips, just above the waistband of his boxers. His hands were warm and so was his body, Eren didn’t want to admit it but he felt safe pressed against him. 

“You promised no one would pull me down,” Eren cried into Levi’s shoulder and the merman groaned before Eren could even finish his sentence. 

“Hanji’s not going to drown you and she’s not going to touch you again if you don’t want her to,” Levi said, his voice growing deadly cold towards the end, as if he was speaking to someone else, probably this Hanji person.

“Aw, you’re no fun, Levi. Let me say hi,” the same female’s voice spoke again and Eren tightened his grip on Levi’s neck. He felt like a baby at the moment, like a baby bear who clung to their mother in fright. But he was still incredibly scared, these creatures were killers, they ate his kind. Why had he gotten into the fucking water? 

“Eren?” Levi asked after a moment and Eren only mumbled a ‘yes’ into his neck.

“This is Hanji, she’s not going to hurt you,” he sighed and Eren felt Levi move in the water. He opened his eyes and realized he had spun around and when he peeked over Levi’s shoulder he saw a woman in front of him, smiling. Her teeth were the same as Levi’s but her lips fuller. Her hair was tied back and fell into a braid over her shoulder and to Eren’s embarrassment, but not surprise, she was naked. 

He adverted his eyes up to hers again and narrowed them. 

“Hello, Eren. I’m Hanji, sorry I grabbed your feet, they’re just so interesting,” she giggled and Eren stared at her. She didn’t look dangerous but then again did the merpeople ever? They were made to lure stupid humans like himself into the water; they were all beautiful. 

“Hi,” he got out after a while and Hanji seemed to shine up. 

“I used to live with humans before I got here so I actually know a lot about you, your anatomy and biology and all that. Don’t worry, I know what shoes and socks are as well-“

“Hanji,” Levi interrupted her by growling as he had turned back around again and Eren had to move his head around to keep his eyes on her, he was basically being held as a baby. Eren’s cheeks reddened and he slowly let his legs fall from his tight grip but kept his arms around Levi’s shoulders. 

“I would love to meet you again, Eren,” Hanji smiled and Eren nodded but kept his mouth shut. He trusted Levi but not the woman, she didn’t seem like she exactly wanted to kill him but Eren had to be cautious. Hanji then disappeared under the surface and Eren stared after where she disappeared. 

He heard Levi sigh and moved his head to look at him only to realize how close they were, their noses almost touching. Eren scrambled backwards and had to start propelling his arms again to keep him up, Levi giving him an amused look. He wanted to ask him what he was staring at or punch him in the arm. 

“How many are there of you?” Eren asked instead. 

“More than you think,” Levi said and Eren gave him a look. 

“Come on, can you ever actually answer me?” 

“Then ask me something you think I can answer,” Levi replied and Eren bit his lip, looking back towards the boat house. 

Compared to Levi who, in the water, stood completely still on the spot, his tail probably moving in large strokes under the water, Eren wasn’t near as graceful. He had to both kick his legs and move his arms to stay in place and not drown and it seemed like even Levi got a bit annoyed by his moving around after a while, glaring at his arms, moving his head back when Eren accidently splashed water towards him. 

“How old are you?”

“34,” Levi answered and Eren was surprised he actually did. The human nodded and Levi sighed heavily before he reached down and grabbed the human’s hands and moved to place them on his shoulders while he grabbed Eren’s hips. Eren felt his cheeks heat up, this was exactly like the dancing positions they had to keep in dancing classes at school last year. 

“Have you ever lived close to Shiganshina?” He asked, happy he did it without stuttering.

“Kid, I don’t know the names of your lands,” Levi replied and Eren rolled his eyes.

“Its west from here, a bit north,” Eren tried but Levi just shook his head, giving him an unimpressed look. 

“For fucks- was it you that I saw that night, by the rocks? In the middle of the ocean, like 12 years ago?” Eren asked, throwing the words out there. Levi watched him for a moment before nodding. Eren felt himself grow colder in the water, he looked down and closed his mouth, staring at Levi’s chest instead. 

“Did… did you kill Hannes?” Eren whispered but didn’t dare to look up, his pulse speeding up. 

“Do you mean the old man that was with you?” Levi asked and Eren nodded, waiting for Levi to reply. 

“No, I didn’t. He was already dead when I got there,” Levi replied and Eren gasped, his eyes widening but he couldn’t focus on anything. He imagined Hannes being pulled into the water while the three children just slept there, unknowingly. 

“I was out hunting with a smaller group when we stumbled upon you,” Levi started and Eren nodded, still not meeting his eyes. 

“Everyone was surprised at what we saw. We were wondering why you decided to stay on the rocks, you had a boat after all. I was with one of our younger ones and we were at the back of our group, when we got there the human was being pulled down by two of us. When they had finished they said they had seen other humans on the cliffs. I swam up to check and I think that’s when you saw me. You didn’t say anything, you just looked at me, right?” Levi asked and Eren had had enough, he is head was hung low and he hid his face with his hair. Levi didn’t continue and Eren leaned forwards, resting his head onto his shoulder to hide his face there. He was glad there was water all around them, maybe Levi would just mistake his tears for that. 

“No one wants to kill children, you humans eat so many different animals on land but you don’t eat the young ones, right? I told the others what I saw and we left after that. I ended up going back once, because I was curious, Eren, how you were doing without the old man. If you were dead already. But you were fighting on, trying so hard to save yourselves and your friends. I couldn’t do anything but help,” Levi chuckled and Eren sniffled, pressing his eyes against the skin between his neck and shoulder. 

“You helped?” He asked and only then did he notice that one of Levi’s hands had moved up to gently run against his back, up and down. 

“Mhm,” he nodded,” of course you didn’t notice someone was steering and pushing your boat towards this land, Trost, you were just determined to keep rowing, not keeping track of any direction whatsoever” Levi said and Eren suddenly hiccupped, as if he couldn’t be more of a baby. 

“When I saw you, in the boat house for the first time I didn’t recognize you, I mean so many years had passed.”

“You were actually going to kill me, weren’t you? After Annie pushed your friend down,” Eren asked, second and third hiccup following. 

“No, I wasn’t,” Levi sighed, “I told you, no one eats kids,” he said and Eren pathetically growled against his neck, he wasn’t a kid, damn it. 

“When you came back, however, I thought I had seen those eyes somewhere before and it clicked. I never actually saw you and your two friends reach Trost back then so I never knew what happened. The ocean is big, very, very big and I kind of assumed you were goners. I guess something somewhere wanted you to stay alive,” Levi finished and Eren sniffled after another hiccup. He looked up over Levi’s shoulder and saw the edge of trees and a rocky-shore, they must be somewhere along the river bank. 

“Thank you,” Eren whispered and while Levi didn’t reply his hand kept moving on Eren’s back in a soothing manner. The human dared to hug him closer, turning his head the other way so he could look out the water, the moon now in view. The reflection was strong on the water surface and it glistened and shimmered. As Eren’s feet slowly moved in the water they brushed against Levi’s tail.


	12. Black water

“You’re very warm,” Eren whispered into Levi’s shoulder after a few minutes of silence, he could feel himself getting both colder and more tired. There was also the constant nagging in the back of his head that his friends were probably wondering where he was, Eren knew he wouldn’t be able to ignore reality much more. He should go back soon.

“It’s cold in the deep waters,” Levi stated, Eren nodding. The human leaned back and unexpectedly gasped as the cold water surrounded him where he had previously been pressed to Levi. It was cold alright.

“I need to go back, I’m also really cold,” he explained and looked to his right where he could spot the boat house, there was light coming from below the doors and Eren realized this is what it had looked like from the lake everyday he’d turn up to the boat house. All merpeople awake would have seen him. He gulped as a chill ran down his body. How could he not have realized?

As Eren swam back towards the house Levi was around him, circling him and sometimes appearing in front of him just under the surface, letting Eren know he was there. Eren huffed even breaths as he got closer to the light, glad he could see the bottom now.

Swimming under the doors he wasn’t that surprised to see his friends inside, Jean and Marco were sitting facing each other while Armin was leaning against a barrel, his eyes closed. The two awake boys turned towards Eren when he entered, Levi following under the surface.

They didn’t look too freaked out, Marco looked a bit curious but all Jean did was to give Eren a grimace as if saying ‘Are you serious, Jaeger?’. It told Eren everything however, it was Jean’s way of saying he was worried but relieved to see him again, two things he would never express vocally.

Marco stood and walked over to the edge, reaching a hand down as if to help Eren up. When he felt Levi grab his legs he instead asked his friend to move. Eren was pushed out of the water with a bit less speed than last time and crawled to his knees on the boards. Armin woke up at the sound and blinked a couple of times before standing up, rubbing his eyes.

“How was the swim?” He asked and Eren gave him an embarrassed laugh, Armin didn’t seem angry but nor was he impressed.

While bending down to collect his clothes Eren heard a splash behind him and didn’t bother turning around, he guessed Levi had joined them on the wooden floor and Jean’s gasp confirmed that yes, he had. Eren stopped in his tracks of removing his shorts after thinking twice about it. They may be all men in the room but he felt a bit embarrassed to just throw his clothes of so instead he picked them up and turned back around.

“I’m gonna go out and change,” Eren said and hurried outside, Marco and Jean had moved away from the edge and Armin was the only one to look at Eren, together with Levi who was now hanging off the ledge, resting on his arms as he had done when they properly spoke for the first time.

It felt a bit silly to go outside to change but Eren hurriedly removed his wet boxers and put on his pants and shirt, shrugging into his jacket as well. He walked inside again and over to his socks and shoes to put them on.

“I’m Marco,” Eren heard the freckled boy say, “It’s nice to properly meet you. I really want to ask, if you don’t mind, back when we carelessly tried to catch the woman that was with you, did she get hurt? Or is she okay?” he asked and Eren couldn’t help but to smile at Marco’s kindness. Eren himself had tried remembering to apologize to her if he ever met the mermaid again but had forgot to ask Levi about it. He looked up at the merman from his spot on the floor while he got the second sock on, after some struggling. Eren’s wet feet weren’t ideal for socks but he felt much warmer on lands and in dry clothes now, only underwear missing of course.

Levi didn’t reply and looked over his shoulder instead, towards the doors. Eren peeked up but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He finished tying his shoes and stood up, when he did he saw something move under the water towards the light.

It was the girl, the one they tried to capture.

Her body moved a lot differently that Levi’s, Eren realized. He also recognised Levi’s tail was a lot longer than hers and moved in quicker motions. The colours on her tail were close to her warm, blonde hair but also faded between yellow and orange. She looked warm but a bit shy.

When she emerged to the surface she only let her eyes peak over the water, looking over all the humans and Levi, she didn’t look angry nor did she look happy.

“Hello,” Marco was the one to break the silence and the girl’s head snapped his way. Eren watched as Marco slowly sat down on the floor, close to the edge but on the right side, where Levi couldn’t reach him.

“Marco,” Jean whispered behind him and took a step forwards but didn’t move closer. Eren knew he himself was a bit of a middle part in this and didn’t want any fights to erupt between Jean and Levi, who held a cautious eye on Jean at the moment. So he stood up and walked over to sit between Levi and Marco, a bit closer to the human. Marco looked nervous already and smiled a bit at Eren before turning back to look at the water.

“We wanted to apologize for what we did that night,” Marco spoke in gentle and sincere words, ”it was cruel and completely unnecessary. You were sleeping, I assume, and we woke you up to a nightmare. While I’m not happy with the situation it brought us all in, you really are lucky to have such a caring friend,” Marco continued and Eren realized the boy really must have felt bad about what happened, probably caught in the moment as the rest of them had been that night. He _would_ be the least of them to come up with the idea to catch it after all.

“I’m really, really sorry, I understand if you don’t want to accept my apology, we were behaving childishly and I think we all sort of panicked but I really hope you’re okay,” he finished and the room grew quiet after his words. Eren had to bite the insides of his cheeks as he had glanced over to Levi during Marco’s speech and seen the most exaggerated, annoyed eye roll ever. The woman in the water swam a bit closer to them and brought her hands up absently rub at her fingers, as if she was cold.

“It’s okay,” she said in a soft voice, “I’m really thankful you apologized though.” It was a lot differently hearing her use her voice speaking instead of coughing and screaming as she had been doing last time her saw her. Eren slightly grimaced at the memory.

“At the moment I was really scared but it was only for a while I was up there. And yes, I’m happy to have a friend like Levi. I’m sorry for breaking your net, though,” she said, her gentle voice echoing in the room. Eren also picked up that she had a particular accent, he couldn’t set his finger on what kind but her pitch was a lot lighter at certain parts and her Rs much more distinct.

Eren couldn’t help a small smile this time as he watched Levi roll his eyes again.

“Of course you would apologize for the net,” he said and she giggled from the water. “Well, I broke it,” she said and Levi made a ‘you’re all idiots’-face while glaring into the wall.

“You really shouldn’t apologize for the net though,” it was Armin’s turn to speak and the blonde even surprised Eren by walking forwards to sit beside him on the ledge, letting his feet swing in the air.

“Like Marco said, what we did was uncalled for. We might have had a bit alcohol that night but it still doesn’t explain our actions. I’m also terribly sorry, we all are,” Armin said and she smiled up at him, nodding.

“Where’s the girl?” Levi suddenly asked and Eren looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Which girl?”

“The one that was in your boat, I’m sure it was a girl. Or was that him?” He asked and nodded towards Marco who in turn looked just as confused.

It took Eren a moment before he realized what Levi was talking about and exclaimed a long ‘oh’ as he did.

“You mean Mikasa? My sister? She lives in another place than us and she has to be home before dark every day, it’s actually a common rule” Eren said, he had thought about how he should explain certain things to the merman, he had a feeling Levi didn’t know what a priest was neither did he know if they had a 24 hour clock down below, he guessed not.

“Oh?”

“This is Armin though, he was on the boat,” Eren said and Armin looked between the two. Levi looked him over and Eren could sense even Armin got a bit uncomfortable under his stare.

“But isn’t she your sister? Why do you sleep at different places?” The girl asked and Armin met Eren’s eyes again.

“She’s not actually my sister, but she lived with my family back in Shiganshina, uh, the village west from here, where we three lived before,” Eren explained and gestured to him and Armin.

“Me and Armin live in the orphanage, Marco does too, because we don’t have our parents anymore. It’s a building where all kids get to live if their mothers and fathers… disappears. Mikasa got adopted, taken in by a man and woman in town and live with them now.”

“But… so you don’t get to live together?” The mermaid looked confused and slightly concerned and Eren shrugged.

“We see each other all the time, she’s just a part of their family now too. I still see her as my sister,” Eren assured her with a smile and while she nodded she still looked a bit befuddled.

Only a couple of minutes later Eren and his friends were starting to feel the hours of the night catching up to them and as Armin yawned for the fifth time Eren stood up and clapped his shoulder. Jean still hadn’t said much from his spot by the door and Eren gave him a questioning look which Jean avoided.

After notifying Levi they were leaving Marco and Eren hoisted up the lamp and turned it off, bringing their two lanterns with them. As Eren was the last out he closed the door after him, seeing that the two merpeople had already left.

Armin was asking plenty of questions on the way home and Eren replied to as many as he could, after all he had expected a few of them. He explained Levi had been there when Hannes disappeared but told him he wasn’t the one to kill him. Eren was sure to tell Armin about how Levi said he helped them on the way to Trost which Jean snorted at from the front, earning everyone looks. Eren wanted to confront him about it but Armin was quick to ask another question whilst giving Eren a pleading look not to fight. He also told him Levi spoke about how no one ate kids but as the words left his mouth Eren felt his feet stop in their tracks as something suddenly hit him.

Krista.

She had only been a child when she was supposedly drowned.

Armin seemed to catch up on it and theorized there could be many different kinds, just like humans could have completely different opinions and views.

Eren slept well that night curled up with Armin in the top bunk, Jean and Marco sharing Jean’s bed. He was pissy when Eren borrowed his clothes to wear, unusually so but Eren was too tired himself to argue about it, he also knew Armin and Marco would be the ones annoyed if he started something. So he complied and climbed up after Armin, sleeping in his pants.

***-***-***

They talked about the boat trip to Ragako the next day in school and their teacher told everyone to bring some money for the bakery. Eren and the other kids at the orphanage would get a small sum each, it was certainly better than nothing, as some of the kids who lived in poor families wouldn’t bring anything. Mikasa always got a bit of money from her parents but she would most likely give it to Eren and Armin either way.

When they were finished for the day Eren knew he should speak to Levi about the boat trip, maybe prod him about the way Krista died. He doubted Annie wanted to come and talk about it but wasn’t surprised when Mikasa demanded to come. Armin was going to join Sasha at the barn and left directly after the school. He wasn’t going to ask Jean and there was really no reason for Marco to come, the boy was usually busy with work either way.

Which left Eren with his sister.

“Mikasa, please remember, he has saved my life,” Eren told her as they were walking along the road, he hadn’t said much and neither had she but he knew she held a grudge against the merman. Which was, to some extent, imaginable. Levi had threatened to kill Eren after all.

However, to Eren’s surprise, the meeting went alright. They had to wait quite a bit before Levi turned up, it was still during the day and when he casually swam inside he gave the girl a bored once over before turning to Eren, asking if this was Mikasa. They informed him the school was taking a trip in rowing boats to Ragako and Levi told them the merpeople weren’t idiots, which Mikasa scoffed to. Levi didn’t bother however, which surprised Eren. But he somehow felt himself a bit cautious, making sure Mikasa didn’t step close to the edge. Which in turn made him slightly disappointed in himself that he didn’t trust Levi.

Eren didn’t ask about Krista in the end, it felt like a topic to be discussed more seriously and alone with the merman. Mikasa must have forgotten as she didn’t bring it up either.

In the end, summer flew by as quick as the wind and Eren had been swimming far more times than he would have expected this year, it had been a cold summer, yet he always found himself falling into the water.

“I don’t have the muscles to move like you, plus you know my knees lock” he laughed and threw another hand of water at Levi who didn’t even close his eyes when he was hit, giving Eren an unimpressed look. It was the middle of July and Eren would spend a lot of times joining Levi in swims around the boat house and along the shore where the thicker woods were covering the lake from other humans.

“Look,” Eren said instead and put his legs together and moved them back and forth as if trying to imitate a merman. Levi went underneath and grabbed at Eren’s knees, the human squealing and trying to kick himself free. The merman came up again and Eren swam around him.

“My turn, can you walk like humans?” He asked and let his hands crawl over Levi’s back where his spiked fin was, apparently called a dorsal fin, careful not to touch the spikes.

“Of course not,” Levi scoffed and Eren nodded, grabbing onto the fin and pulling, unfolding it and looking through the thin material as the late sun shone through the skin.

“What is it exactly for?” Eren asked as he let it go and watched it tighten against Levi’s back again. The merman turned halfway towards Eren and before he could ask what he was doing he jumped when the dorsal fin sprung up into full size.

“For that, mainly.”

“Shut up,” Eren grumbled and turned around to swim closer to the shore again, holding his breath to swim underneath to let the water rearrange his hair again.

“It’s a bit of agility too, but mostly for predators,” Levi said behind him. Eren tried to find stones to stand on but he struggled for a while before he involuntary got a gulp of cold water down his throat, coughing and staring at the water with annoyance.

“You’re such a child,” Levi said as he moved in front of him to hold him in place, giving him a look as Eren continued coughing and half-laughing at the same time. When he calmed down he leaned his head against Levi’s shoulder, a bit to test the other’s patience. Levi kept his hands on Eren’s waist and Eren absently let his arms crawl up to hang over his shoulders, his legs moving to wrap around his waist. The sound of the waves calmed him down and as the sun was almost completely gone now he could feel his eyelids start to drop. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep.

Towards the end of August Eren found himself walking into the boat house and meeting with a pair of eyes he had never seen before. His lantern shone enough light over the room for him to see the man in the water who was looking at Eren with such disinterest Eren almost felt offended.

Levi came up to the surface to place himself between the two, probably for Eren’s comfort. The man ducked under the surface and after only a second later Levi followed. Eren could still see them, they stayed in their spots while gesturing with their hands. Could they speak underwater? But how did you speak without air in your lungs? Eren awkwardly hung around on the planks, not sure if he should turn on the bulb and throw it down at the two.

The man disappeared through the doors and Levi came up to the surface, looking over at Eren.

“Do you need to go or something?” Eren asked and Levi shook his head and swam forwards.

“How do you speak to each other, I don’t think I ever asked,” Eren added as he put the lantern on the usual barrel and his bag by the wall.

“We sign with our bodies and hands, which is much more expressive than speaking actually,” he said and Eren nodded.

It made sense. He remembered an old man who had stayed at the tavern a while back, he was apparently both mute and deaf, trying to sign with his hands to the boys who didn’t understand anything. He eventually wrote down on paper what he wanted, which Eren guessed wouldn’t really work underwater.

“Can you teach me something?” Eren asked out of curiosity.

“No, I would be killed if I did,” Levi’s cold voice surprised him and Eren opened his eyes, looking down at the merman.

“You’re kidding.”

“Maybe I am.”

“For fucks sake, Levi,” Eren groaned and the merman disappeared under water to jump up onto the floorboards.

They would spend a lot more time together and Eren found himself going to the boat house the majority of the week during the summer. He would go after school if he didn’t promise to join his friends to something. When he worked he only had an hour or two between school and work which would be the days he didn’t go. Levi almost always showed up.

During their trip to Ragako with the school there had been no problems, Eren hadn’t even seen any movement under the water and no one had yelled they ‘saw something weird’. Even then Eren and his friends were a bit cautious, looking between each other and the water.

Without Eren realizing autumn was just behind the corner. The petals from the big rose bush, which was crawling around the fountain in Rose Garden, were already starting to fall. The wind got colder all across Trost and they started lighting the lanterns much earlier in the evening. Eren didn’t get into the water anymore and Levi didn’t ask him to, not like it was even him who enquired Eren to jump in with him.

Buttoning the last two buttons and shoving his hands into the pockets, Eren made his way towards the boat house in fast steps. He had his backpack with him full of school supplies and at least the sense to bring an extra shirt if he ended up staying a bit too late. The lantern was a source of warmth in his right hand and Eren carefully put it down on the ground before he removed the lock on the doors to the house, pushing it open.

After he closed it behind him he turned towards the room and scurried over to the lamp to turn it on and lower it into the water. Eren was still cautious when doing so and keeping his eyes on the water; Levi wasn’t the only merman out there after all.

While he was pulling out his book he heard a splash behind him and turned to see Levi sitting on the edge, moving towards Eren. The human sat down with his back to a barrel, smiling in greeting. It was always fascinating for the human to watch Levi move on land. He was the fastest when he rolled on the side but he would mostly be ‘scooting’ forwards or crawling, as he was doing now. He didn’t exactly look clumsy but he sure wasn’t fast.

“I’m was planning on reading a bit today,” Eren said as Levi looked over his books. The merman positioned himself beside Eren, leaning his upper body on one arm while his tail formed a half circle around the human’s body, the end fin moving slowly back and forth. It had to be a habit, Eren had realized, as he did so almost every time on land. It was only natural as Levi constantly needed to swim in water, and probably did so asleep as well, to stay in place. Levi had also told him they did in fact have an adjustable sleeping pattern, during summer they would be mostly nocturnal but during the cold winters they would sleep similar times as humans. However, most of them travelled to the ocean during the winters and swam down deeper where they would have more luck finding food, some would even go into short periods of hibernation.

“Are you going to leave for the winter?” Eren asked after he looked up from his book, looking at Levi who was resting his head on his arms, eyes closed. He almost looked asleep.

“Probably,” he replied without opening his eyes and Eren nodded, realizing he wouldn’t see the motion and mumbled an “okay” back.

“But what do you mean? How do you… find food?”

As far as Eren knew there were no humans swimming around in the ocean during winter.

Levi opened his eyes but stared into nothing as he spoke, Eren continuing to tap his pen against the book.

“There’s always food in the ocean, Hanji for example can’t get enough of fucking crayfish. She hunts them like a tiger shark,” he said and Eren nodded. Levi had long ago informed him they don’t necessary only eat humans as that really didn’t make any sense. In Eren’s relief Levi had also told him about Petra, the orange-tailed mermaid, and how she refused to eat humans, never had and never probably would. He also told Eren how he himself without difficulty could agree with her ways. He had also added that he recently hadn’t found any humans to snack on which made Eren hit him, giving him a look.

The human had learned, both from Levi and actually read it in one of the books he and Armin had gone through, that the habit to eat humans was a primal instinct. Merpeople didn’t know where they came from and neither did humans, but there was a drive in them which wanted to lure and charm their pray to them. They couldn’t exactly charm the fish.

Eren tried to imagine a similar situation for him and could only come up with ones where Levi would be a chicken or cow for him, he could totally see himself playing and petting with either and still enjoying meatballs or chicken soup.

Into the second week of August Eren joins Sasha and Connie at the barn after school to help them with picking the apples, there were several trees and Connie had apparently already fallen off the ladder twice.

Hours later Eren’s arms was aching and he had a slight stomach ache for eating too many apples and they called it a day, bringing the baskets into the barn where Sasha locked them up, her face in a sour grimace. Eren knew he would be crying on the ground and throwing up if he was her, with the amount she had eaten.

Connie had heard word about how a group of pirates would arrive sometime in the evening and suggested they go check out the ship, which had also been spoken about. Eren knew it was late and should probably head home soon to make it before the gates closed but Connie promised him a bed at his house. After another promise of breakfast Eren was game and joined the two, passing through the now quiet market streets.

Sasha was talking about school when they walked down the small hill and passed onto the end of the port, strolling towards the jetties where the boats were tied. They could spot silhouettes of the larger ships and Eren does think one of them look quite massive compared to the others. He’s only seen pirate ships a couple of times before and he gives Sasha an exited smile. His eyes travel over to Connie behind her and he wonders why Connie’s face is twisted in something opposite of a smile. He turns and looks to where Connie’s looking and feels his smile fall as he can see two girls by the water.

Eren recognizes them as Hannah and Anka, two girls from their school. They’re always seen around each other and Eren wonders what they’re doing in the water this hour of the day. Anka is down with the water to her knees and she’s holding up her dress while looking down into the water, searching for something. Maybe crayfish as it was the season for those. Hannah giggles about something and Eren feels a chill travel down his back.

Something doesn’t feel right.

“Hey!” Eren calls and hold his hand up to wave, both girls tuning towards them.

“Eren?” Hannah asks and takes a step towards them. Eren thinks he sees her smile and follows Connie as he’s approaching them as well, Sasha just behind.

“What are you doing in the water?” Connie asks and just as Eren’s feet leave the ground he watches Anka fall forwards in such speed he’s unsure of what just happened. The next second she screams piercingly, the sound then interrupted by the water and Eren’s already running towards them, his legs working as fast as they can.

“Anka?!” Hannah yells as she turns and the next second she’s pulled to her knees, her hands grabbing onto land as her eyes stare in fear at Eren.

With one last spurt he reaches her and grabs for both her hands, her nails immediately digging into his wrists. She’s screaming, yelling for help in front of him and Eren tried to pull. It only results in her yelling louder however.

It’s then a tugging war and Eren finds himself stepping deeper and deeper into the water as Hannah’s crying words hit him, one after the other.

“YOU’RE RIPPING ME APART,” she screams and Eren doesn’t know what to do, he’s slipping on the rocks and the next second two hands erupt from the water, gripping his arms with such force Eren’s forced to let go. A man, looking around Eren’s age, maybe a bit older, moves to the surface and Eren realizes he’s much deeper in the water he originally thought as the merman _leans_ over him. His hair is short and dark, maybe brown, and his face is slightly long in shape. His eyes, however, are a light blue and they’re wide open, staring at Eren.

Hannah is long gone behind him.

Eren doesn’t have time to move except gasp in fear but the next second the man is harshly shoved to the side as a tail connects to his body, Eren stumbling a step with him as he had been holding Eren’s arms.

The human watch in shock as there are fast movement under the surface and water splashes everywhere, a dark tail coming up once. Eren then realized Levi was the one who had pushed the man off Eren. He starts backing up towards land again and heard a cry behind him, most likely Sasha’s.

The bigger one of the mermen fled in mere seconds out towards the water and only a short moment later Levi appeared above the surface, turning to Eren.

“Why-“ Eren gasped as he stared at him, falling down onto the rocks and bracing his arms behind him.

“Why didn’t you do something?!” He yells and Levi doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, only keeps his eyes on Eren.

“Oh my God,” Eren whispers and brings his hands up into his hair, staring down into the black water.

“Why do you keep trying to kill yourself?” The cold words hit Eren one by one and he gapes at Levi, his head still trying to process everything that just happened.

“Are you f-fucking kidding me?! Those were- Those were my friends,“ Eren screams and feels a pair of hands under his armpits, probably Connie trying to pull him up.

“You _imbecile_ ,” Levi threw back and Eren picked up a rock in his rage, lunging it towards the other who simply ducked it, narrowing his eyes at the human.

“Eren, come on,” he hears Connie plead behind him and stumbles to his feet, getting tugged backwards.

He couldn’t even come up with a reply, he was completely dumbfounded, furious and shocked at the same time. Levi disappeared under the waves and Eren turned to Connie and Sasha, the girl on her knees, her face twisted in both fear and grief.

Eren falls down in front of her and she moves her arms around him, crying into his shoulder while Eren holds her closer, feeling Connie’s hand on his back. He stares into nothingness behind her, his eyes wide open and his expression blank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess which merman that was ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	13. James Grieve

Eren didn’t go to the boat house anymore.

The incident the night at the port made quite an impact on him. It was evident to someone who knew him well, like Mikasa and Armin, that something was off with Eren. His laughs weren’t as full of life and his eyes didn’t seem to shine the same kind of fire they usually did.

Sasha and Connie were shaken, to say the least. Sasha seemed to take it the best however, as Connie had gone down a similar road as Eren, to stay quiet and mourn about it. Eren would find him spacing off and noticed him and Sasha stayed much closer lately, holding hands in public which had used to be one of their nemeses to do.

Eren didn’t bother talking to anyone about it, Mikasa had brought it up two days later, probably because Connie or Sasha had told their group of friends. But he just shrugged her off and tried avoiding the topic of merpeople, which surprisingly wasn’t hard.

It didn’t mean Eren wasn’t musing over it however, he kept finding ways to blame Levi, how the situation could have been different if Levi had at least ‘ _tried_ ’. But then again Levi hunted humans himself. Eren didn’t know what kind of romanticisation he had built up of the man. He kept questioning himself if it had even been real? All curiosity and this _attraction_ towards Levi, was it all part of their ‘luring’?

Eren felt betrayed.

But he also felt stupid. He told himself he was naïve and foolish.

There were now five people who had died in the waters but no one from the village seemed to give it a second thought. It was only one sailor here and there and the gossiping widows who spoke about ‘the beautiful ladies who were drowning deckhands. Of weeping ladies with long, soft hair falling in curls around their rotten bodies. Of singing creatures, human to the mere eye but whom killed in the name of Satan.’

No one spoke of the real.

Eren had realized the merpeople’s hunting grounds were perfect. Absolutely faultless as humans drowned all the time, even if someone was witness it didn’t matter, people didn’t have time for their lives to care. ‘People drown all the time’.

***-***-***

Close to one week later there was a scroll put up on the board by Rose Garden, the ink was slightly faded and the writing hurried. It consisted words of how a merchant ship, sailing from south, had been attacked by pirates or by Mother Nature herself. It also mentioned that there would be a shortage of new fabrics and salt from quite some time.

Somehow that last line was the only thing people seemed to catch up on, some would even curse the skies or whine about their business. Eren was frustrated in response as he knew no one would expect it to be anything else than pirates or a storm. Hell, Eren knew he would have blamed either if he hadn’t known about the merpeople.

***-***-***

“Cheers for Hannah and Anka!”

“And Mina!”

Everyone around the table raised their tankards before gulping the bitter contents down. There were a couple of burps following and a few people slammed their glasses down onto the table again.

Eren was already down to his third glass mead and had needed to do some serious convincing to Emelie that he wasn’t drunk and that he could definitely get a third, which he successfully did after a minute. She was currently placed in the lap of one of the older men, her brown dress very revealing and Eren found it hilarious to watch the guy get lost staring down her ‘moneymakers’ as she called them. Somehow Eren, Connie and Sasha had succeeded in ordering their own alcohol for the evening as Sasha’s father, the owner of the tavern, was away for a few days. His brother was left in charge and it was fully forwards for breaking most rules.

“Gustav! Ian!” Someone called behind Eren and he turned to see two older men sit down by the end of the table, Connie reaching to shake his hand with the blonde one of them, Sasha waving from her spot. They were speaking loudly of the hunt that they had joined Sasha’s father on a week back and apparently caught ‘a monster moose’ as Sasha had said. The end of the table got immersed in hunting stories and Eren couldn’t help but to join in, laughing when Gustav told the story of how he tripped in boar shit while hunting one.

Eren only got down another wooden mug of alcohol before he felt he had enough. His movements were quite slurred and he was laughing a bit too much at jokes around him, even if they weren’t that funny.

After he clashed his glass together with Jonah’s beside him and finished the content he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Sasha smile down at him.

“We were gonna leave now, you probably should too,” she said and Eren looked down at his empty glass to confirm that yes, he was finished. Jonah exclaimed a loud and long ‘OH’ as he gestured to Sasha behind him, implying the two were _something_. Eren laughed.

“I would never be able to handle a woman like her, _she_ handles her men! Just look at Connie,” he said and the man cackled as he looked at the bald behind Sasha. It was funny, but not that funny. Yet Eren didn’t mind as he stumbled along his two friends out the door, everyone biding their goodbyes and thanks to Potato.

The late August wind was cold against Eren’s neck and he pulled his hood over his head, pushing Sasha back as she stumbled towards him, their arms hooked. They were constantly giggling and laughing at mostly nothing but mostly at Connie in front of them. He was walking the straightest out of the three but after throwing up already once he had a sour face on.

“Sasha, I swear to God, you won’t be sleeping in my bed if you continue… ugh, continue this,” he groaned which cause another giggling fit from the girl in Eren’s arm, pressing her face against his shoulder as to muffle herself.

When they closed in on the road towards Connie’s house Eren surprised them, even himself, by stopping and exclaiming he forgot something in the tavern, a scarf, he lied. It wasn’t his best idea however as Connie just gave him a questioning look, asking why he couldn’t just get it another time. Eren furrowed his eyebrows.

“It’s from my mother,” he got out without thinking much of the words, both people in front of him nodding in acknowledgement. He also told them he would crash at Jean’s place which really didn’t make sense as it was way past midnight and Jean was probably asleep. But Sasha and Connie waved goodnight and stumbled together towards Connie’s house, giggling like kids.

Eren turned around and walked the road back, the sound of his steps against the gravel loud to his ears, he somehow felt like he had to sneak, so he didn’t wake Mother Nature up. There were owls hooting as he wandered along the same road that also lead towards their school. A turn right then one to the left and he was passing Annie’s house, taking the cobblestone road down towards the lake.

When he reached the wheat field it took him some time to find the opening that lead towards the boat house, the woods were tall at the end of the farm land and Eren couldn’t for anything figure out where the small trail started as he rarely came from this direction. Eren cursed and convinced himself someone had moved the path.

After he successfully found the small opening he struggled against the wheat plants as the darkness was covering almost everything, Eren was lucky there was a full moon that night, it shone some light, enough for him to not trip on the ground more than once.

When he got the door to the boat house open, stumbling inside he stopped to stare out the room. The boat doors were wide open but his blurry mind didn’t take a second to wonder who had opened them in the first place. The moon was visible from over the tree tops and it cast a strong light over the water which in turn created the blue-ish light covering the room, enough for Eren to see.

He staggered over to the lamp and carefully enough removed it from the wall, walking to hoist it down the water. While hoisting it down he tried to focus enough on the task but his clumsy hands dropped the rope just mere seconds after he got it over the edge. The lamp hit the surface and Eren cursed as he tried grabbing the cord again. Exhaling in relief that it didn’t break, he got his fingers around the cord and adjusted the bulb’s position.

Eren took a step back and stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, looking out towards the lake again.

“Well? Where are you?” He yelled and his voice pierced the silence, crickets quieting.

“Levi?!” Eren stared expectantly forwards, waiting for a pair of eyes to appear, to see a flash of color move under water or a tail splash in the water.

The silence made him realize how noisily he was breathing, close to pants almost and he tried to calm himself. Bringing his hand up to tug at his hair, anger draining from his face, he felt pathetic.

“Levi for fucks sake!” He cried and his knees hit the floorboards, voice shaking as he repeated the merman’s name, trying to call for him. For him to come.

Why wouldn’t he come?

Where was he?

Was he gone?

Had he abandoned him?

“Levi,” Eren let his forehead meet with the wooden floor, his body bending over in shame as he didn’t know what to do with himself. It all came down on him at once, like hail during the harsh winters. It hurt and each thought felt like a sting of pain.

His hands were cold and his scalp was hurting form the pulling on his hair, his eyes watering even as Eren tried to force the tears back.

He was a fucking mess. Somewhere deep down he knew he was, even in his drunken state there was a thought in the back of his head that said; ‘it’s the alcohol speaking. It’s okay, scream it out.‘

So Eren did, he cursed and yelled and begged to know why Levi wouldn’t reply, called him a traitor and a liar, a devil and a demon, whispering words of angelic-ness and cursing his eyes as he hypnotized him, tricked him and deceived him.

Somehow Eren wasn’t surprised when a pair of warm hands gripped his shoulders and pushed him back, pushed him to sit up so he could meet his eyes.

Levi looked strong, he looked elegant as he always did but in his eyes there was pity, Eren thought, like he was feeling sorry for someone.

Oh, right. Me.

“Why did you leave me, why did you abandon me?” Eren continued to cry, his voice already raspy and his face a wet mess. He looked up at him but his vision was blurry, his hands were cold as he let them fall from his hair and down to the floor as dead weight.

With another more forceful push Eren fell back and Levi crawled over him, exclaiming a small sigh, before grabbing Eren’s shirt and pulling it upwards. Eren wondered for a moment what was going on before the shirt was pressed into his face and two fingers on the other side of the fabric pressed on his nose, rubbing the snot and tears away.

What a gentleman.

Levi cleaned his face up enough and let his shirt fall down again, pulling Eren’s jacket over it and then leaning down to press against Eren’s body, the teen exhaling when the weight fell over him.

“Eren,” Levi whispered as the human finally quieted down, his voice both gentle and annoyed at the same time. Eren tried to move his legs but realized they were both in a tight grip, Levi’s tail crawling around the two limbs. His toned arms on either side of Eren’s body was all that was holding him up.

A hand moved up his face to brush away a tear with his thumb and Eren shut his eyes, trying to throw his arm over his face to cover it but Levi wouldn’t have any of it, pushing Eren’s arms down again.

“Have you calmed down?” A smooth voice asked over the boy and Eren felt a punch of déjà vu hit him. He hurried to nod, wanting the warm body off him. He might be cold but this was not a situation he wanted to be in right now. Being too conflicted, his thoughts in a constant war, Eren just wanted to ignore them all and go home and sleep.

“How much alcohol have you had? You smell like a sailor,” Levi continued and in Eren’s drunken state he couldn’t help but to giggle, which transcended into a sob halfway through.

Levi sighed again.

“Oh, Eren,” he whispered and another sob left the boy. Trying to keep his mouth shut while a cry escaped he felt his body starting to shake. Levi swiftly rolled them around and Eren followed like a dead log, he didn’t complain but merely moved with him. The merman’s arms fell around his back and one warm hand moved up to gently brush at his hair.

“I’m sorry,” Eren whispered into Levi’s chest where he hid his face, both hands closed in fists and pressed against his stomach, trying to steal as much warmth as possible.

“I’m sorry too,” Levi replied over Eren’s head and the human nodded, the bridge of his nose cold against the center of Levi’s chest, his warm skin reminding Eren of a roaring fireplace, comfort and safety.

There was something telling him to stay awake, to maybe get up and walk home but the sleepiness won and soon Eren’s world faded into darkness as he closed his eyes and let the slumber take over.

***-***-***

When Eren woke up he was cold, shuddering as a wind blew past him and he scooted further forwards into the warmth that was in front of him. There was a low groan just above his head but Eren ignored it and closed his eyes again, trying to hide his face further into Levi’s shoulder.

“Eren,” Levi spoke against Eren’s hair and the boy hummed a reply.

“I’m feeling really shitty, all dry and stiff, I need to-“ he was interrupted mid-sentence as Eren groaned loudly and proceeded to further press himself closer to the merman.

Instead of speaking again Levi simply rolled backwards, Eren opening his eyes to grab for him but the merman gave him a look before snapping his head to his own tail, grimacing. After carefully and a bit twitchy turning around he pushed himself off the edge and Eren listened to the splashing sound while hugging his arms closer around himself. He felt slightly disoriented and knew his hair was a mess. Bringing his arms up he rubbed off the dried tears from yesterday and sniffled a couple times; he was definitely getting a fever from this.

After buttoning his jacket more properly, as he apparently had failed at yesterday, he looked out towards the waters. Shivering in the cold he stood up on wobbly legs and shuffled towards the rope on either side to close the doors. He was weak in his movements but by using his body weight he successfully got them closed.

Walking back towards one of the edges Eren fell down to the floor to roll up the cord with the lamp, almost hissing when the cold water met with his naked hands. He could see Levi move about in the water, spin and speed through, like he was stretching and flexing his body.

When he got the lamp up on the hook again he turned it off, yawning once and sneezing twice.

“I don’t want to go home,” Eren said to the water and Levi moved up to the surface to look at him.

“But you probably should.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“Then what do you want to do, Eren?”

“I don’t know… you’re warm,” the human said while adverting his eyes, scanning the broken fishnet on the wall.

Silence filled the room and Eren had to bite his tongue not to say anything else or take back his silent request, all he could do was ask. He had missed Levi and he always enjoyed the time they spent together. Apart from when he was threatened to death, hunted by thieves or trying to save the lives of his classmates of course.

“Go home and put on something warmer then meet me by the port, there’s a set of bushes with yellow flowers, right? I’ll wait there,” Levi said and before Eren could ask when or why he was nodding and the merman disappeared underneath.

He sighed and hid his hands in his pockets while making his way home. The sky was grey and a thin mist covered the horizon in front of him. Eren guessed it would be just after lunch at the orphanage about now as it was fairly quiet inside, the younger kids napping by this time.

Eren found Armin sitting on his bed with a book in his hands. The blond merely nodded his way and Eren realized no one would potentially know he went to see Levi unless Sasha or Connie actually brought up him leaving.

Eren picked out a warmer sweater, a red one he and Armin shared, a pair of gloves and a scarf, cursing whoever thought it was funny to make it January-cold on the first day of September. He might be exaggerating a bit but Eren wasn’t a fan of the cold. The snow he adored but the raw cold air which made your skin sting during the especially cold winters made his mood sour.

Bringing his leather bag he shuffled back into his boots at the door and Armin looked up, asking where he was heading.

“Just out,” Eren replied and the blond nodded while yawning, looking back down into his book.

Eren sneaked by the kitchen to find Frida scrubbing the floor and asked, in the politest way possible, if there was a piece of bread or anything he could bring. Fruit was mostly always available to the children but Eren was certainly not hungry for apples and probably wouldn’t be for a while. Frida was apparently in a good mood and made him a small bundle with bread, cheese and two pears inside. She also handed him one of the wineskins, filled with water or herbal water and before Eren left he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

When he was a child he had an embarrassing habit of kissing people and while it vanished as he got older, just before they moved to Trost, some people still remembered. Mikasa would tease him about it, Armin couldn’t really remember it but was in on the joke whenever Jean brought it up, having learnt it somewhere along the way. As Frida was one of the survivors from Shiganshina and Eren’s and Mikasa’s previous babysitter, she remembered and the habit somehow stuck. She was a bit of a mother figure to them, even though she wasn’t much older, and the best part about living at the orphanage was definitely her. It made it feel more like a home. So instead of waiting for her to demand a hug or kiss on the cheek Eren just complied.

He packed the food in his bag and realized he already had two books inside, shrugging and bringing them along as he wasn’t about to run upstairs again to leave them. He nearly tripped over a child running outside and the girl hastily apologized before continuing her spurt after another girl. The guard nodded at Eren again and he waved back, heading towards a shortcut he knew that led to the port through a smaller set of woods.

On the way he passed a cheery hunter walking his two dogs and while Eren got barked at by the two he smiled their way, greeting the hunter as well. The clouds were still light enough and Eren desperately wished for no rain to surprise him during the day, biting his lip.

As he closed in on the east part of the port he hoped these actually were the bushes Levi meant. By now the flowers had fallen and the leaves starting to change color, but the bushes were bright yellow during the spring. They smelled awful however, and left the worst stain on clothes, as Eren of course would know.

After taking a few looks around and finding not too many people, most were centered towards the actual port where the boats were tied towards his left, Eren took a step towards the bushes and trees between him and the water. He pushed branches out of the way, leaves falling as the twigs were rustled and Eren successfully scraping his hands almost bloody, his gloves forgotten in his bag.

As he reached the water the ground was soggy towards the edge and Eren stood, holding a tree trunk while looking out towards the water, he didn’t exactly want to trip and fall in. In just a couple of seconds Levi appeared above the surface, close to the edge.

“Follow me,” he said and Eren was about to oppose of that as he would refuse going into the water but he realized after a moment, Levi was following the shore, looking back at Eren. The human zig-zagged between the trees and jumped onto rocks as he knew the forest on his right was getting thicker and thicker. After a few minutes they reached a place Eren had never seen before, he’d never gotten this far in by boat and the small bay was impossible to see from land. The shore was made of gravel and reed, woods completely surrounding the place.

As he passed another tree he could see something was tied to a pole fastened into a set of rocks and realized it was a boat, a big one at that. It was a ship of some sort but the actual sail had been removed, the boat itself left in rather good shape. It was bigger than a rowing boat but much smaller than an actual ship, Eren wondered if it used to be a merchant’s boat as it resembled one the most.

“Do you know whose it is?” Eren asked as he jumped over to the shore to put a hand against the wood.

“It belongs to and older man, a retired sailor who doesn’t come down here very often. A few of us can spot him every now and then during summers but throughout the years his visits had gotten much fewer,” Levi said and Eren raised an eyebrow as he got a much more elaborate answer than he expected. The human took a careful step onto the boat and climbed over towards the bow, watching Levi swim up to the boat and rest his arms against the wood. He turned to look down inside the boat before giving him a questioning look.

“He’s a friend to Petra,” Levi explained and Eren spun on his heels looking back at the merman who was in the middle of hauling himself up onto the boat.

“What?” he asked and Levi scoffed.

“Humans and merpeople interacting isn’t as rare as you think it is,” he said and crawled towards Eren who rolled his eyes and tried to open to door.

“But I thought I was special,” he said, voice poisoned with sarcasm but it successfully made Levi chuckle behind him. To Eren’s surprise he got the door open with two hard tugs and stared inside a small bunk.

“This looks nice,” he mumbled and crouched down to his knees to crawl inside, looking around. There were two blankets neatly folded and placed over the mattress on the floor, and two pillows pushed against one side. It definitely had to be an old merchants boat, one for traveling longer distances, enough space to sleep for one or two people.

“It’s probably really dusty though,” Levi said behind him and Eren shrugged, grabbing the two pillows and sheets, crawling backwards out the small door. He stood up and walked past Levi to dust them off into the wind, almost throwing one of the pillows into the water. Crawling back inside he laid down onto the mattress, throwing both blankets over his body, jacket and everything still on. His backpack was propped up against the wall behind him.

“You’re so spoiled,” Levi mumbled and Eren chuckled, throwing one pillow at the other which the merman easily caught. He closed the door with his tail, Eren raising his eyebrows fascination, shuffling closer to Levi.

“You’re getting sick, aren’t you?” Levi asked as Eren continued to sniffle. He gave him a sheepish smile.

“It’s probably just a cold, it’ll pass,” he waved it off and Levi rolled his eyes, his tail bending and running along the walls of the small bunk. Eren sat up as much as possible and removed his jacket, then scooted towards Levi to lay beside him, stealing as much warmth as possible, throwing his jacket on the side that didn’t get the body warmth.

“As I said, spoiled like a brat,” Levi said but snaked an arm around Eren’s body either way, the human smiling and letting his eyes fall closed. He wasn’t feeling particularly tired but the moment was nice and comfortable for both, even Levi relaxing after Eren rolled over to lie on his side, Levi’s body warm against his back.

Eren let his mind wander and the soft sounds of the waves hitting the boat lulled him into a peaceful mood, he let his head roll back and felt Levi rest his head on top of his, his breathing making Eren’s hair move.

“Did you help them kill Hannah and Anka?” Eren whispered after a couple of minutes. Pressed up against Levi’s chest like this made him able to hear the merman’s heartbeat which was beating a much slower pace than Eren’s. Another biological difference, Eren thought.

“No, I got there when I did, Eren. They were gone in seconds,” he said and Eren nodded, it was something he’d thought made sense too. When Levi slammed into the other man he had seemed surprised and their battle sure was short, if it even was a battle.

“Did you fight him, the one with dark hair?”

“They both knew who you were, Bertholdt was confused to say the least, but I’m sure he recognized you, that’s why he didn’t take you… yet he seemed to wonder if he could take the opportunity, that’s what made me mad,” Levi spoke and Eren gulped, his mind bringing up memories of the merman’s blank face in front of him as his eyes scanned over Eren. He could only imagine what he himself looked like at the time, eyes shut open in fear, color drained from his face. The rabbit in the fox’s claws.

“The other one, Reiner, was the one who pulled you under when you jumped into the water, back when the three men tried to go after you. He recognized you and told him not to do anything. Bertholdt was conflicted… which is understandable.”

“He sure looked like it, you guys can be scary when you want to,” Eren said and flexed his fingers in front of him, making them walk on the mattress like a small set of legs.

Levi didn’t reply but merely hummed, his tail doing its slow moving back and forth and gently bumping into the wall with every move.

“Do you have any pets underwater?” Eren asked on a completely different note and Levi chuckled behind him.

“No, the idea is very odd to us as it doesn’t keep a purpose.”

“It does, dogs are amazing. Have you ever met one?”

“Yeah, they bark at us alright, most of them doing well guarding you humans from the predators. Heard they taste fine too,” Levi teased, his fingers crawling over to Eren’s sides, making the human squirm and grab them. Then elbowed by Eren, Levi laughed again at the human who scowled at the wall in front of him.

“Don’t talk about eating dogs, man. No one eats dogs.”

“But eating humans is fine?”

Eren didn’t reply at first, he knew they were mildly joking along the way but he felt his eyes fixate on the wall in front of him, his chest feeling heavy all of a sudden.

“It’s not something… I want to encourage, obviously, especially if it’s avoidable,” he concluded after a minute. Levi moved behind him and when Eren felt a pair of lips rest against his head his cheeks heated up.

“I don’t… not anymore. I’m not going to lie to you and say I never have, but… it isn’t unavoidable. I’ve met people who’ve never have, Petra for example.”

Eren nodded and felt like the weight in his chest was lifted, closing his eyes and pressing himself closer to the warm body behind him, lifting his knees higher. Levi’s tail moved around him, once again impressing the human with his flexibility, and around his feet, up to his front. Eren reached forwards and let his fingers trace the lines on the almost translucent material of his caudal fin.

Levi left in November. He didn’t say much before he did but at least he had he courtesy to give Eren a heads up the day before, the human knew he would eventually. They had spent the last months around each other constantly, learning about each other and conversing about everything between the ground and the sky, or the bottom of the ocean and the sky, to be more specific. Eren saw Hanji a couple times and Petra came along once or twice but mostly they would sit and talk in the boat house or around the hidden bay, just the two of them.

The winter was long and cold, much colder than the previous year. Not much happened either, Eren sprained his ankle and broke a finger while tumbling down a snow-covered hill with Jean during a fight, Jean walking away with only bruises. Eren worked a lot, saved up enough money to be able to pay for his and Armin’s extended stay at the orphanage. Both had now turned 18 and were originally planned to be moved out during spring. Armin had gotten a simple job as a paper boy, it was harsh during the winters but it did him enough and they were even able to stay in their room with Marco, their permission extended by Darius Zackly himself. Marco was a hard working boy and was closing in on his 19:th birthday and still living at the orphanage, so it didn’t seem impossible to postpone their homelessness after all. The three boys were discussing getting their own apartment above the black smith, if they shared and kept their jobs they would be able to make it.

When the snow was still melting in early Marsh Eren found himself going back towards the boat house. It was still cold outside but he decided he might as well spend a day cleaning the place up. The water was yet ever so still and only fishes would surface to create rings in the lake, the human feeling his anticipation rise and growing more and more impatient with every day.

Eren went to the boat house every day of Marsh. During mornings or evenings he would sit for a while, up to an hour or so, waiting. He would bring his school work and read a lot, a lot more than he usually did. He learned about a hidden love of his to literature, he loved reading about adventures, journals by travelers. To sail where the wind took him and discover new places, it soon became a dream of Eren.

The sun rises one morning in early April and Eren blinks his eyes open, his view blocked by something.

“Don’t tell me you waited here for all these months,” a familiar voice whisper in Eren’s ear and he hears himself gasp as he immediately moves to sit up, his body forced awake in mere seconds as Eren leans back and takes in the view of Levi sat beside him, a smug look on his face. The human doesn’t care about keeping his cool and throws his arms around Levi’s neck, something warm growing in his chest.

He feels like something clicks, like something falls into place and his heart beat hums in his ears, Levi’s low laugh like music to Eren. His cheeks grow warm and his pulse picks up but Eren doesn’t have time to get concerned for those feelings rising inside him, he’s busy being blissful.

Levi is finally back.


	14. April

When Eren fell he didn’t realize he did. It went so fast. The pain was bad but not deathly so, he could survive, he could hide it.

Eren had pulled the boat doors open and draped himself in his winter jacket, even as April was just around the corner the evenings were chilly, nights even more so. He was sat on the edge, his feet moving back and forwards in the air above the water. Eyes following the fireflies outside, Eren felt at peace.

“Are you cold?” Levi asked beside him and Eren settled for shrugging, his hands hidden in his pockets.

“I wouldn’t mind getting warmer though,” he said after a minute, turning to look at Levi.

“You would, wouldn’t you,” Levi worded, his voice barely a whisper.

His expression was cocky, teasing as he would get sometimes. Like he knew everything that was going on in Eren’s head, how he was questioning himself, his actions and his feelings. Levi knew it all and he was having fun with it.

“Please,” Eren tried and lowered his head, one hand sneaking out from the pocket and placing itself flat on the floor board, Eren leaning towards the other.

Levi tilted his head to the side and Eren slowly spun, turning to get closer to the merman. Then he stopped in his tracks, his body still in a position of getting ready to spurt. In moments like this Levi truly looked like a predator, his eyes dilated and his body completely still.

A grin slowly crawled it’s way onto the human’s face and the next second they both moved, Levi’s tail flying out from the side and this time Eren was prepared enough to catch it. Both his hands held onto it while his feet pushed him up into a standing position. Eren needed to be quick and he only spent one second thinking before he pushed the tail away from him as hard as possible, then jumped forwards.

He didn’t stand a chance.

Levi turned on his stomach while Eren was still in mid-air, his lower body flying up and catching the human around his hips and throwing him down onto the floor to the left of where Eren would have landed. Levi grabbed his wrists and pushed them into the floor above the human’s head, rolling on top of him.

“Damn,” Eren groaned, “you didn’t need to go so hard.”

Levi scoffed above him and tightened his hold on his legs with his tail, Eren whimpering under him.

“Foolish human,” Levi said and Eren rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. You know what? Let’s have a running contest, no, a _walking_ contest. Who would be the winner then, huh?”

“I still feel like I somehow would win, you would probably trip over your ego-“

“Ha ha, so funny, Levi,” Eren exclaimed with irony, wiggling his feet that were free. Levi clicked with his tongue above him, the sound echoing in the room and the flame from the lantern sending their shadows moving on the walls.

“Why is your tongue blue? I don’t think I’ve asked before,” Eren said under him, relaxing his hands behind his head as Levi let them go. He placed his both arms on Eren’s chest and rested his chin on top.

“Why is yours not?” Levi shrugged.

“Because our insides, the muscles are pink. I think the tongue is a muscle.”

“Okay,” Levi sighed, “the water is pressure on your body, more than air, right? That’s why my skin can take more damage and cold than yours. Hell, I don’t look like a raisin after five minutes. We use our tongues for eating and we eat our food raw, which means we have to work harder on it, maybe that’s why.”

“…At least I don’t look like a shark.”

Levi smirked in question and Eren pouted.

“A shark?”

“For two reasons.”

“And you look like a cow then?”

“What do you mean a cow?!” Eren exclaimed and Levi chuckled.

“I’m a shark because I have a tail and sharp teeth, right? Two reasons. You have four limbs and flat teeth, just like a cow.”

“Oh my god, you’re so mean,” Eren said and shook his head in disbelief, Levi scoffing above him.

Eren had packed a blanket with him as he had prepared to stay the night but Levi rolled off the edge just a few minutes later, asking the human to go home. The human felt too awkward to then pull up the blanket and request Levi to hold him. He settled for waving goodbye instead, trying to hide his disappointment. Levi didn’t seem to notice but if he did; he didn’t care.

The human was starting to find words for his feelings for Levi and he desperately tried to push them down, ignore them and still blame everything on curiosity. Levi was a creature of another species and Eren was sure Levi only thought of him as a friend, maybe just entertainment or amusement. Maybe it was a sort of brother relationship as Levi was older and had met the human when he was just a child.

Eren’s feelings, however, were sure as hell not appropriate for a brother to brother relationship. It was neither suitable for a human to feel that way for someone that was not a human. If he would go confess to Mikasa’s father, the Priest he would most likely get him hung in town, maybe burned alive, tied to a pole.

Eren would get giddy in Levi’s presence and the merman was not afraid of close contact, something that played with Eren’s poor heart many times, leaving the teen a stuttering mess. He would be blushing and stumble over words and Levi would always seem so amused by it, which convinced Eren that Levi knew what was going on. He was having the time of his life watching this pathetic human question himself and Levi would feed the fire by giving Eren one extra smirk before leaving or say something in a deeper, sultry voice, the human left gulping and choking.

***-***-***

“Did you hear about Mitabi?”

“No, don’t tell me something happened to him and his boys.”

“Yes, it was spotted by Rasmus and his crew. Mitbi’s ship apparently completely intact. Everyone was gone but the captain’s son, Dieter. He’s a mess,” the woman finished in her thick northern accent and her friend clasped her hands together.

“Poor thing, he has my prayer of peace.”

“Agreed, Alma. They want to send him back to Karanese but he refuses to go over water,” she said and leaned forwards, putting a hand to her mouth, whispering; “I hear he’s talking about the sirens.”

The other old lady, Alma, in turn gasped and tightened her hold on her basket. Her eyes moved over to Eren who instantly looked away, pretending he hadn’t been snooping. He pushed himself off the wall and continued down towards the stand of dried chanterelles, digging his hand into his pocket where the gold coins rested.

The orphanage had sent him to fetch the mushrooms and Eren was happy he had gotten the easy job while Armin and Marco had to carry the freightage of fish that arrived today. They would most likely get to bring the wooden cart but it was still a hassle every time. Pulling it above the hill by the clock tower was a tough job but just arguing with the fishermen, every single time, about the prices was annoying. They always tried to get more money and when the boys reminded them they always paid 5 gold and 1 silver the sailors always blamed it on the sea. Eren wasn’t sure how many times he had heard them gruff in their deep voices ‘It’s what the sea does to ya, boy’.

“And send my greetings to Mrs. Iris now,” the merchant told Eren after he handed over the money, Eren adding a smaller coin of his own for a piece of resin to chew on.

The roses crawling up the statue on Rose Garden had already started to bloom, two children running around the fountain and disappearing into the crowd of people outside the tavern where they had started the yearly spring auctions. The auctioneer was an older man, same as every year but appearing with less hair every time, holding his hammer high in the air as people were yelling in the horde. There were two boys in Eren’s age, Nac and Mylius, who were struggling to hold the table up in the air for everyone to see. Eren chuckled at the scene in front of him and stayed to watch the crowd get into a fight just minutes later as two men both clearly wanted their hands on the big dovetail saw.

When Eren left the supplies at the orphanage he had just enough time to get to work, having stayed for a while too long to watch the auction in town.

“Hurry up, boy. There’s a ship arriving anytime soon,” Hugo yelled when Eren rushed inside the tavern and fetched his apron from the wall.

“Should I do the bread?” he asked after greeting him, swiping off one of the counters while Hugo worked. Eren handed him a tray without the older even asking for it, thanking him. Eren had well enough learned the routines by now and also gotten closer to Hugo.

“Miranda is bringing bread over, she should be here soon. But get the fire going and try the marinade, I’m not sure I like it.”

“Sure. Is it Peter’s ship that’s arriving?”

“It sure is. A bunch of starving men are gonna stomp in here and demand free refills. Such pigs,” Hugo laughed,” but they are bringing something good to town I heard. Someone said they got their hands on some canons from Stohess.”

“Canons?” Eren asked as he rummaged through the wood, throwing a few pieces into the stove.

“Yeah, the big ones. We sure could need some,” he said while slamming his club down hard on the piece of meat lying on the cutting board.

The crew arrived just a bit later and the tavern was full of laughter and celebration as they apparently got a really good deal on the canons. Jean showed up an hour or so later to take the night shift, as he had started doing lately. It was better payment but surely more boring, sitting at the reception as drunk guests staying in one of the rooms upstairs arrived 3 in the morning.

“Hey, Eren!” Connie called him over the next morning. He was running another errand for the orphanage and was stopped by his friend on the streets, the sun high up in the sky.

“Hi, I was wondering…” he started and then stopped, hesitating and Eren raising an eyebrow. He lowered the wheelbarrow to the ground as it was already starting to strain on his shoulders.

“What?” Eren asked, wiping his hands on his shirt.

“Is it for the orphanage?” Connie asked instead and gestured to contents of the wheelbarrow, Eren nodding.

“Ah, okay…”

“…”

“…Connie, what do you want?” Eren chuckled as his friend was avoiding his eyes but not finishing their talk either.

“I…- do you still hang around Levi? As often?” Connie asked and the question surprised Eren, giving him a wondering expression.

“Well, yeah. I guess,” Eren replied, speaking a bit quieter than earlier.

“Ah, okay… is he nice?”

“What do you mean ‘is he nice’?” Eren couldn’t for the hell of him figure out what his friend was trying to get at.

“I was wondering if maybe you two could… help me with something,” Connie finally got out and Eren crossed his arms, shrugging.

“With what?”

His shorter friend sighed before he started. “Me and Sasha went to Ragako like two days ago and on the way home we wanted to fish some- Eren, wait. It was the middle of the day, at least two or three other boats were around us, shut up,” he hurried while Eren opened his mouth twice to speak, wearing a worried expression.

“But I was kind of being a dumbass and I dropped the anchor…”

“…Okay? And?” Eren asked.

“I dropped it. Into the water.”

“Yes, Connie. That’s what you’re supposed to do with anchors. What do you mean, did you hit somebody with it?”

“I dropped it without the rope attached to anything,” Connie sheepishly smiled and Eren couldn’t help but to laugh at his friend.

“You fucking idiot-“

“Shut up, Eren,” Connie sighed, “we caught an old pike, really big one and I just wanted to get it out of the water before it got loose on the line.”

“Did you get it?” Eren asked but before Connie could answer their previous teacher passed and both greeted her before he continued.

“Yeah but my mom kinda fucked up the cooking. It ended up too salty and now we have salty pike to eat for days, since it was a big one,” he admitted and Eren laughed again.

“I’ll ask Levi, or you can do so yourself. I was planning on heading to the boat house after I’m done with this. That is _if_ I’m free after this,” Eren said, grabbing the handles of the wheelbarrow again, straightening up. “You’re free now?”

“Yeah, I’ll join you,” Connie said and followed Eren.

“But… are you sure he won’t like… be offended or something?” Connie asked after a minute of silence.

“Why would he be off- Okay, knowing Levi he probably would be a bit pissy. But I’ll convince him. It’s your father’s boat too, I assume?”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s kind of a big deal to me,” Connie kicked a stone on the road in front of him and both boys watched it roll off into the grass.

After leaving everything at the orphanage Eren got ordered to help with the dinner which in turn Connie did too, joining them to eat. Marco was surprised to see Connie at the table but the bald one was smart enough not to make a joke about his parents dying or something.

Connie wanted to bring a lantern but Eren told him they wouldn’t want to bring attention to their boat in the middle of the night. Connie’s parents were both in Ragako, having taken their second boat and his house was quiet when they arrived.

“Where’s Sasha by the way?” Eren asked as Connie picked out a key and changed into his fishing boots, closing the doors after them and walking down the hill towards the lake.

“Mrs. Cecilia is visiting her sister or something somewhere and Sasha is in charge of the entire place while she’s gone.” Connie said after jumping down onto the shore where their rowing boat was tied to a tree. He crouched down and unlocked the boat with only some difficulties considering the lock looked really rusty.

“That seems like a big responsibility,” Eren said, and Connie nodded.

“I know. And she’s gonna be so fucking pissed if Sasha fucks up something.”

“How far out were you?” Eren asked after Connie had pushed the boat out with his foot and climbed inside, Eren sitting at the front, watching his friend stumble into the rowing seat. He grabbed the paddles and Eren helped him put them in, both silently agreeing on not to question the other why they hadn’t put them on before they left land.

“We were kinda close to the reed. And the big rock there,” Connie said as he started rowing, Eren turning to look forwards into the water. The sun was just setting but the water was dark enough for him not to see anything apart from a plant reaching the surface every now and then. They rowed through a part of waterlilies and Eren switched seats to the back just minutes after they got onto the water. He wanted Connie to see him and the front of the boat was the smallest, left open.

“Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he’s not even here,” Connie whispered as they got closer to the reed. Eren knew the boat house would appear somewhere in between the trees on his right side anywhere soon and bit his lip as Connie spoke.

“Eren?”

“No, Connie. He’s here. He promised he’d tell me if he was leaving for a longer time,” Eren said but knew his friend could pick up the uncertainty in his voice.

“What if he’s sleeping?”

“They sleep during the day,” Eren clarified and Connie’s eyebrows rose.

“Really? They’re necrophilias?” Connie asked and Eren slowly turned to look at him with his most concerned face possible.

“…”

“…what?” Connie mumbled.

“…”

“…Do you mean nocturnal, Connie?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s what it’s called,” he said and Eren dropped his forehead into his palms, groaning while Connie quietly chuckled in front of him.

After another minute of rowing Eren felt an unnerving uneasiness creep onto him. He started moving in his seat, biting his lip and trying to convince himself that ‘No, Eren, there’s nothing moving in the water, you’re imagining things’.

Connie on the other hand looked ready to shit himself.

Eren decided to start calling for Levi, trying to keep his voice hushed. There was no reply.

“Did you ever think Mrs. Reed looked good?” Connie asked and Eren chuckled, looking his way.

“Well, I mean every boy in our class did,” he answered and Connie shrugged.

“Fair enough. But like, she’s got nice tits, right? You saw her today.”

“Connie, she’s like twice our age,” Eren mused as he rested his head in his hand, watching his friend shrug again.

“I’d still do her, if I didn’t have Sasha.”

“Maybe she would be up for a threesome. She could speak dirty to you two in math formulas,” Eren suggested and Connie rolled his eyes. Both boys stilled, however, as they heard a splashing noise somewhere close by. They both turned to look around themselves, the boat creaking as they moved.

“Shit,” Connie cursed and Eren frowned, his hands gripping onto his wooden seat without him realizing. It wasn’t like he would be able to hold on if someone unfriendly decided to attack. And even if he did manage it wouldn’t save him if they turned the boat around.

“Levi?” Eren called a bit louder than the previous tries and he held his breath in-between, listening to his echo travel over the lake.

“Well, don’t you two look tasty,” a voice giggled to Eren’s right and he flew up from his seat in seconds, spluttering while he heard Connie gasp.

He _just_ managed not to fall backwards into the water and as he balanced himself with waving his arms into the air his eyes fell on the woman hanging over the boat.

“Hanji!” Eren yelled, not caring if he was quiet now. Connie looked like he was about to upright die, like his soul would just leave his body any seconds. Hanji was giggling and beaming as she looked very proud with herself.

Her smile didn’t exactly look comforting either with her sharp spikes of teeth. It wasn’t like Eren saw the merpeople smile a lot just because the one he happened to hang around never did.

“Sorry, Eren. I couldn’t help it,” she giggled and Eren carefully sat down on his seat again, a hand pressed to his chest. His gaze wandered over to Connie who still had his eyes on Hanji, looking ready to bolt. Like that would somehow help.

“Its fine, Connie,” Eren assured him, “Hanji’s nice… I think?” he added as a question and looked at her, the woman giving him a smile.

“I am nice. And you really should be happy _I_ found you and not someone else,” she said on a more serious note.

“I don’t think we planned on going here so late. Is Levi around?” Eren asked and scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. They ended up doing something very reckless after all and Hanji was basically scolding them like they were children.

“He’s out hunting but he should be back soon,” she said and rested her head on her arms, Eren nodding slowly. She gave him another small smile before looking over at Connie again.

“Hello, I didn’t mean to scare you- or well, I did. But you two deserve it, being as stupid as you are, going out here in the night. I’m Hanji, a friend of Eren’s partner,” she said and Eren noticed the way her words were soft and her body language slow, she didn’t move further in to scare him or extend her hand for him to shake as-

Wait what?

“Partner?!” Eren spluttered and she giggled again, not even batting an eye in his direction as she waited for Connie to reply.

“I’m Connie,” he said after a moment and she beamed at him again, Connie visibly shuddering, “aren’t you cold?” he then added and Hanji waved her hand.

“Of course not, the weather during spring is the best in my opinion. Not too cold but not too warm,” she said and wiggled her finger in the air, both humans watching her.

“I guess,” he replied and Hanji reached forwards, grabbing the fabric of Eren’s pants just under his knee, rubbing it in-between her fingers.

“Is this a pair of skirts?” She asked and Eren stared at her for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows.

“Do you mean pants?”

“Oh, yeah! Skirt is the other thing!” she exclaimed and Eren rolled his eyes. Connie chuckled from his spot, the paddles fastened against the boat again so they wouldn’t hang aimlessly in the water. The brown haired boy was happy to see Connie relax and thankful Hanji was the one who found them.

“Eren in a skirt, huh?”

“Shut up, Connie,” he sighed and Hanji perked up, giving Eren’s clothed leg another tug.

“Can you move your toes in those” she asked as she let her hands fall onto Eren’s shoes and the human obliviously jumped a bit away from her, Hanji dropping his foot.

“Sorry,” she whispered and Eren shook his head, avoiding her eyes.

“No, it’s fine, uhm. Yes, I can move my toes,” he said and she nodded.

“Do you- oh wait,” she snapped her head to look down the water, her eyebrows furrowing. She gave Eren a quick look before pushing herself off the boat and into the water, the human leaning over to look after her. The water was still impeccably dark and there were only circles dancing on the surface.

Connie didn’t say anything but his eyes were widened, he was sitting completely still. Eren knew he was looking worried himself and while he wanted to assure Connie they were fine he felt himself grow tense.

There was another splash coming from somewhere further away and the sound echoed on the otherwise quiet lake. The boat stood completely still and Connie reached for the paddles, giving Eren a silent question. Eren didn’t say anything and continued to turn both ways and scan the waters around them. There was a fishing knife lying on the floor of the boat and after Eren heard another splash behind him he reached for it, standing up and walking closer to Connie. As he stood in the boat he got a much larger range of sight but as the sun was gone and the water black it didn’t help much. The moon was shining bright as it always did in Trost and Eren’s breath hitched as he finally spotted something green moving a metre or two on the left side, just passing close to the surface for a second but fast enough for him to see.

There was the sound of a knock and it took both boys a good damn couple of seconds before they realised the knock came from under the boat.

“Fuck me,” Connie whispered and Eren furrowed his eyebrows, the knife now in his two hands.

“Hanji?” Eren called, waiting for a reply.

Then there was the sound of water moving and the boat gently rocked as Levi appeared over the back of the boat, his arms crawling over the wood, his eyes on Eren.

Eren felt relief floor through him and he exhaled as he walked over to his spot again, sitting down. He dropped the knife to the floor and hid his face in his palms, groaning.

“What the hell are you doing here, brat?” Levi asked beside him and Eren groaned again, leaning towards him but Levi put a wet hand on his head and pushed him back, Eren whining in return.

“Are you fucking suicidal or something?” He asked and this time Eren didn’t reply, just kept his face hidden.

“W-we,” Connie stuttered and Levi turned his head towards the other human in the boat, as if finally acknowledging he was there as well. “We didn’t plan to go here this late. And he didn’t know you were away…”

“Well, I fucking was. Eren, if I’d come home to your skull lying on the bottom of the fucking-“ Levi stopped himself and breathed heavily through his nose. Eren still didn’t say anything but let his hands fall from his face, staring down into the boat.

No one said anything and while Eren felt much safer he was still feeling uneasy.

“I’m taking you both home,” Levi said and his hands held onto the boat as he moved down further into the water.

“No, wait!” Eren exclaimed and reached for one of Levi’s hands, the merman glaring up at him.

“N-no, listen. Levi, I’m sorry, we didn’t think this through enough and it got late and you weren’t here and yes, it’s my fault but as we’re not out here I wanted to ask you something too,” he spoke, hurrying his words and slowing to normal speed when Levi finally stopped moving the boat.

“Connie dropped an anchor in the water yesterday and it’s his grandfathers and it’s kind of a big deal for him and-“

“Where did you fucking drop it?” Levi interrupted and glared down Connie who had his arms around himself, as if he was freezing. Which Eren guess he might be since he was wearing his spring jacket while Eren was still stuffed in his thicker one.

“C-close to the reed, and that big stone. You don’t have to get it, I’m sorry-“

“Hanji!” Levi called, his eyes still on Connie who looked really confused for a moment.

“Keep an eye on these fucking kids, I’m sure they’ll find a way to fall out of the boat if they could,” he said before disappearing under water, his tail briefly coming up to the surface to splash against it. Eren watched towards the reed as if he would see Levi appearing there and then looked at Connie, gesturing to the paddles.

“Do you think he’s going to get it?” Connie asked and Eren nodded. He probably would but he also knew Levi wasn’t happy with them. Eren fucked up and the merman had a good reason to be mad with him. While Connie was the one suggesting for them to get the anchor Eren was the one who sent them in a rowing boat at night to search for it.

“It would’ve been kind of funny if you had stabbed him or something,” Hanji said from the back of the boat and Eren turned in his seat to look at her. Her hands were on the boat and her tail moving behind her, Eren could catch colours of green surface as it moved and he absently nodded to her words.

Levi appeared on the left side and pushed an anchor up over the edge of the boat, Connie hurrying to turn and grab it.

“I hope it’s fucking this one. The areas around your port and this lake as full of these,” he spoke and Connie nodded.

“It is, thank you so much-“

“Don’t be an idiot next time. And not with the fucking anchor but with this shit you two pulled today too,” Levi said in harsh words and Eren bowed his head as he looked over at him.

“I’m tempted to turn this boat over just to teach you two a fucking lesson-“

“No, please. Levi don’t.”

“-but I’m not gonna get your fucking anchor again.” He finished and Eren bit his tongue to shut up as his voice would probably just agitate the other even further. Connie stayed quiet in his spot as well but started rowing as the boat moved back towards where they came from.

“My house is just a bit further and to the left,” Connie said after a while as they got closer. The boat was going in such a speed Eren’s hair was moving in the wind, the human wondering if Hanji had joined Levi to push the rowing boat as well.

“You’re staying at my place, right?” Connie asked as they got closer and he steered the boat in towards land and Levi seemed to catch the drift underwater. Eren nodded at first but then bit his lip, nodding his head towards the water.

“Maybe, I want to speak to him first,” he whispered as they had to keep quiet now, it was late as it was but Connie’s neighbours were not the politest.

Connie was the first out of the boat and grabbed to hold it still while Eren jumped off, drying his hands on his pants afterwards. They both pulled the boat up high enough on the wide, wooden ladder underwater and Connie tied the chain around it, locking it up.

“I’m going in, join me if you want or not,” he said and Eren nodded, briefly waving at his friend.

“And thank Levi for me again. I’m sure he already hates me but, you know, I feel kind of bad. He was seriously worried about you and if something had happened out there it would’ve been my fault and-“

“Connie, shut up. It’s fine. I don’t want to argue now, so let’s just drop it, okay? Goodnight,” Eren said and Connie rolled his eyes.

“Stop trying to act so fucking mature. You’re 1 year older than me, not 10,” he grumbled and disappeared towards the house, Eren chuckling behind him.

After Eren had watched Connie enter his cottage he turned and walked out on the rocks, sitting down on a bigger one with his feet resting on another. The water surface was completely still. Levi appeared just beside him and the sound of water moving and dripping caught Eren’s attention, looking over at him.

“I’m sorry,” he started and forced his eyes to meet Levi’s. The merman still looked angry but then again he never really looked happy. Eren picked at a smaller rock and let it fall into the water, watching the circles move.

“You’re sleeping in his house tonight, so don’t-“

“No, I don’t want to,” Eren interrupted him and Levi raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

“I want to go to the boat. I’m cold,” Eren said and rested his head on his arms which were placed over his knees.

“You’re not fucking cold, Eren.”

“I am.”

“And what if I don’t want to?” Levi asked and Eren couldn’t find anything to say, snapping his mouth shut. He looked down at the water again, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I’m sorry…”

“God damn it, kid. Okay, what? You’ll walk around town in the dark? It’s quite far from here even if you run.”

“I’ll swim,” Eren said and reached for his shoes, untying them and kicking them off. Levi caught them and gave the human an annoyed look.

“Now _that’s_ cold, Eren,” he said and as he didn’t reply Levi brought a wet hand up to his naked feet, Eren automatically pulling it away. Levi gave him an ‘I-told-you-so’ look but Eren ignored it. His jacket would be too heavy to swim with and he folded it, placing his shoes on top and walking up towards the house. He left the items just outside the door as he didn’t want to wake Connie up. He also didn’t want to be questioned about where he was going or why he was so obsessed with the other.

Eren walked down to the shore again and Levi watched him from the water. He inhaled before letting his foot touch the surface, finding it not too bad and taking another step. The rocks where harsh under his feet and he stumbled once on something slippery. Levi rolled his eyes as Eren almost fell the second time and Eren chuckled while holding his arms around himself. The clothes worked to some extent but it was still very cold, not exactly bathing water. It was April for fucks sake, what did he expect?

When the water reached his belly he stopped and collected himself for a moment. He couldn’t see anything and looked over at Levi again, his arms held just above the surface, his fingertips merely gracing the cold water.

“You’re keeping an eye out, right?” he asked and watched Levi tilt his head before leaving the rocks and disappearing underwater. Eren looked down in front of him again before leaning forward to take his first swim, shuddering and gasping as he pushed himself forwards in the cold water.

Levi appeared just in front of him, swimming on his back and keeping his eyes on Eren. The human felt extremely ungraceful as he clumsily swam forwards, moving all four limbs to stay up and stay moving. Eren wouldn’t consider himself a bad swimmer, maybe even one of the best among his friends as Shiganshina had many smaller lakes everyone would bathe in. But in comparison to Levi who was elegant and agile in his movement, like a dancer who kept their eyes on the audience, he felt like a pig. Obviously the merman was in his own waters at the moment, literally, but there was so much more to it, Eren realized, as he had found out Hanji, for example, moved much jerkier than him.

“Do I look funny to you?” Eren asked in a deeper voice as he concentrated on keeping his breathing even and low, his eyes on Levi’s in front of him. The merman had a small smile creeping on his face.

“A little bit,” Levi said and while Eren rolled his eyes there was something in the back of his head which cowered. He knew he wasn’t the most attractive of humans but to make himself look worse in front of Levi-

“You have two legs after all,” he finished and Eren nodded slowly.

“And you have a tail,” he replied and was ready to stop swimming as Levi had in front of him. Before he did Levi reached for his hands and wrapped his slender fingers around Eren’s wrists, starting to swim again and pull him with him. Eren felt himself grow slightly embarrassed but guessed his blush wouldn’t be visible in the darkness.

“You don’t like my tail?” Levi asked, an amused tone in his voice.

“Do you like my legs?” Eren shot back and Levi narrowed his eyes, his mouth still turned upwards. He didn’t reply for a while and Eren guessed the conversation was left at that.

“I do,” he settled for after a moment and Eren almost had to ask him what he was referring to.

“I really like your tail,” Eren tried and Levi smiled, feeling something soft briefly touch his feet.

A minute or so into the water, it got better and didn’t feel as cold anymore. But as they were closing in onto the hidden shore Eren felt his legs start stiffen, furrowing his eyebrows. He started moving them again, swimming briefly to get the blood circulation moving but that somehow hurt. Levi seemed to notice a change and picked up his speed, Eren giving him a thankful look.

He stumbled onto land as they reached it and he shuddered while reaching to remove his shirt. His teeth were close to chattering and Eren bit together hard to keep it from happening. He squeezed out the water and hung the fabric on the boat, on the side he knew the sun would rise on. Eren had to sit down to be able to slip out of his pants, watching as Levi heaved himself up onto the boat. He hung them beside his shirt and walked over to boat where Levi was pushing water from his tail then shaking his hair to get rid of the drops. Eren moved to walk over his tail as he was kind of blocking the way but Levi stopped him, a hand coming up. The human gave him a questioning look and Levi nodded towards his underwear, Eren’s eyes going wide.

“I’m not gonna get naked!” He hissed as his hands flew to protect himself as a reflex. Levi rolled his eyes and turned towards the bunk, opening the door.

“You’re not going inside with them on,” Levi said, “we’re wet as it is. I don’t want to destroy the fabrics. Also, you’re not exactly going to be the first human I’ve seen naked.”

“I want to keep them on,” Eren fought but didn’t follow him inside, glaring at him from outside.

“Then you’re not getting any heat from me,” Levi said, the end of his tail slamming on the floor twice.

Eren stood there for a good minute before cursing and pulling his underwear down, not even bothering to rid them of the water before slapping them beside his other clothes, his hands protecting his male parts as he went to enter the small bunk. He obviously had to let go to crawl but Levi really didn’t seem to pay much attention to him, he was holding up his tail for the human to enter, Eren closing the door after him.

As he lied down he reached for both blankets, covering himself and shivering under them. There was no way he was going to offer one to Levi.

“Oh look, we’re both naked,” Levi mused and Eren couldn’t catch himself before his thoughts moved elsewhere and he realized that Levi actually was naked all the time. Which in turn made him wonder other physical questions and before he knew it his eyes travelled down the merman’s body, quickly looking away in embarrassment when he caught himself.

Levi laughed at him, reading him like an open book and Eren grumbled something inaudible, most likely a curse.

“How old are you again?” Levi asked and while Eren was bothered by being constantly teased he couldn’t deny feeling relieved as he made Levi smile.

“Stop teasing me,” he successfully got out without blushing or stuttering, boldly moving forwards instead to curl into the heat that was the merman.

“You’re teasing me as well,” Levi whispered back and Eren felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes traveling up to scan his face. Levi looked serious all of a sudden but Eren didn’t pay much mind to it, letting his head fall against the pillow again.

What did he mean?

Levi sighed and rolled backwards, Eren moving up to lie by his side, resting his face against his shoulder. Levi was warm as always and his tail slid over to just wrap around his legs once. Eren took a moment before letting his arm crawl out from the sheets and fall over Levi’s chest, staring at it while it moved with his slow breathing.

“What do you mean I’m teasing you?” Eren whispered after a moment. The small, round window in the bunk was positioned on the wall that was facing the lake and the moon shone enough light inside for them to see each other but not too much to disturb them when they slept.

There was a tense undertone to the air in the small space but Eren stood his ground, waiting for Levi to reply, letting him play his part as well.

“I think you know what I mean, Eren,” Levi replied and Eren felt his face heat up even further.

They had never talked about this, never even touched on the subject before and while Eren had thought about it countless of times he was sure Levi didn’t care. _Aware_ he had to be, he was a merman, a creature made to seduce and tempt and fool stupid humans like him. But Levi never brought it up so neither did Eren dare to. It wasn’t like he had much to say on the matter either way. He had a crush on him, something he blamed on Levi’s magic to lure and that was that. When he thought about how other humans had fallen to the charm of these creatures it beat his hopeful thoughts down to the bottom of his body.

But now the flame in him was lit and Eren’s breath picked up, the human trying to mask it.

“And?” Eren spoke, keeping his voice calm but refusing to meet the merman’s eyes above him. He could sense Levi was watching him and also feel how his tail stopped its rhythmic pattern of moving, stilling against his feet.

“And,” Levi spoke with an octave lower, his voice causing a tingle to erupt in Eren’s body, “I think you’re a foolish human.”

Eren bit his tongue.

“-but I also know that you’re stubborn and persistent. What I say doesn’t matter because you wouldn’t listen.”

“Do you hate me for it?” Eren asked and Levi’s tail started to slowly move again, the merman taking a deep breath.

“Of course not.”

“If I did… something… would you hate me for it?” Eren asked, forcing his voice to stay even, his eyes still focusing on the moon outside and his hand moving with Levi’s breathing.

“I’ll warn you, how fucking foolish it is,” Levi spoke in his calm voice, “but I would never hate you. I wouldn’t be able to.”

“Levi,” Eren said, his voice a small warning. His eyebrows furrowed and he tried to calm his poor heart down, his pulse speeding up even further. The way he was pressed up against the merman made him positive he could hear his loud heartbeat.

When Levi didn’t reply Eren took a leap of faith and angled his head up, meeting silver eyes. He watched his face for a while before letting his hand slide further over Levi’s chest, supporting himself with the other as he turned upright and moved a leg over Levi’s waist. The low roof made it impossible for him to sit straight up but he just had to keep his head bent a bit not to hit the boards above him.

As he moved Levi’s eyes changed immediately, they narrowed and the same kind of predatory look fell upon him. As if he was warning the human back. The sheets were still covering Eren’s body but one shoulder slipped free as the human moved his hands up Levi’s chest to his shoulders and then back down, his breath picking up as he stared down at the other.

“Tell me to leave, tell me to get off now if you absolutely don’t want this. Don’t tell me what I want but tell me your thoughts,” Eren said in a composed voice, Levi’s hands had crawled to his hips, Eren didn’t know when but one was pressed against his naked skin there where the sheets didn’t cover. His thumb moved experimentally and Eren leaned further down, his eyes falling to the merman’s lips and then back to his eyes.

“Levi, tell me to stop if you’ll hate me for this. Don’t play with me, be honest,” Eren whispered but the merman still didn’t reply, his eyes scanning the human’s face and his thumb gently moving over his skin just above his hip-bone. Eren licked his lips.

“Levi,” he breathed as a last warning but then the merman tilted his head up and it was enough for Eren to take the bait.

His lips were gentle and soft at first, almost feather light against his. Eren held himself up with his hands flat against Levi’s chest as he exhaled through his nose. One hand travelled up to his shoulder, over his neck. His fingers were slightly trembling as they barely touched his gills, moved up his cheek and into his hair.

The human confidently tilted his head and pressed himself closer, his mouth sliding open. Levi’s lips were a lot softer than Eren’s that were still a bit cold from the water. He let his tongue gently taste the other and Levi leaned upwards into the kiss, meeting him. His lips caught Levi’s bottom one and he pulled slightly before delving down to meet him again, their tongues colliding first.

A soft whimper left Eren’s body as Levi charmed his way into Eren’s warm mouth, Eren moving his head over him, letting their tongues and lips do the dancing. He still found himself wanting more and his grip on Levi’s hair tightened as he demanded his attention.

Levi was warm and strong under him, he tasted different and the way his hands held onto Eren’s hips, keeping him in place sent a shiver up his spine.

Eren could feel Levi moving under him after a moment but was completely caught by his tongue rolling against his. Something slowly crawled around his chest and as it pulled him backwards, away from him Eren growled in protest. Levi laughed against his lips but leaned away, his tail holding the human back enough but not pulling him off his body.

Eren grabbed Levi’s tail that was wrapped around his chest and pushed him off, his eyes on the merman.

“You good?” Levi asked as he slowly let his tail unwrap and fall back against the floor again, Eren breathing heavily over him, his cheeks flushed red and eyes lidded.

“I’m fine. Why did you stop?” he breathed and another soft laugh slipped between the merman’s lips, now wet and red thanks to the human who took great pride in his work. He couldn’t help the smile that fell onto his face as he stared down at him, proud even he could make a mess of Levi.

“You need to breathe. And unless I’m underwater I need too,” he said and Eren rolled his eyes, leaning down again and claiming Levi’s lips once more.

Eren finally got what he wanted. He sure as hell was going to enjoy it as long as it lasted.


	15. Earnestly Yours

”You taste like fish…” Eren whispered against Levi’s lips as he leaned back to catch his breath. He was no longer freezing in his naked skin and the sheets combined with the merman’s incredible body-heat made him feel comfortable. Added with the giddy aftermath he got from their making out, Eren found it impossible to hide his smile.

Arching his body he lied down, chest to chest with Levi, trailing a finger up to his lips and following the bottom one. He let his other hand slowly move in Levi’s hair, the man under him keeping his eyes on Eren’s while he drew on his lips with his fingertips, continuing up to his nose and under his eyes.

”You taste like human,” Levi said in a low voice, one of his hands slipping lower down to Eren’s thigh, “I’m getting a bit hungry.”

Eren whined, “Gross!”

He still settled for pushing his face against Levi’s cheek, placing a set of small kisses up his jaw. Eren moved up his body to lean over him for a second, a playful smile on his lips before he turned to press his lips against Levi’s left ear. After taking a moment to gather up more confidence he opened his mouth to bite him there, following it up by pulling on his earlobe.

Levi’s ears were slightly different to Eren’s whereas they didn’t have the big holes humans had and instead looked almost sealed, most likely to prevent water and particles inside. But it was something Eren had only discovered a week or so ago as it wasn’t exactly the first thing you paid attention to when a human with a fish tail came swimming. The main difference to his ears, however, were how Levi’s were pointed at the top and slightly slimmer. Something Eren of course put on his list of _top Levi traits_.

A low rumble followed when Eren dared to lick his ear from the lobe to the top, the chest under him vibrating as Levi growled.

“Eren,” he warned under him but the brown-haired replied by dropping his hands to his shoulders, pressing him down against the mattress and licking down his neck where his gills were positioned. The edges were sharp, much sharper than Eren expected and he suddenly felt a sting of pain. Before he had time to react Levi rolled them over with no problem. The sheets were barely covering the human now and Eren’s heart sped up by the sensation of hard scales against his bare thighs.

Levi eyed him and Eren laughed awkwardly under him, tasting the blood in his mouth. It had to be a tiny cut as it didn’t hurt him as much as it surprised him but Levi still seemed annoyed.

“They’re really sharp, sorry,” Eren said and Levi rolled his eyes. He didn’t roll off him but neither moved so Eren took the invitation to trail his hands against Levi’s neck instead, exploring the scars on either side that just cut him, that made him able to breathe underwater. Being more careful he tried pressing his thumb against it, confirming it was definitely one close to a knife’s edge. Eren tried pushing the flaps down flat against the skin, closed and looked up to see a change on Levi’s face but there seemed to be none, he looked more interested watching the human instead.

Eren let his hands crawl further up to Levi’s hair again and tug him towards his lips, letting them move together, the other not complaining. The intensity made Eren squirm under him which Levi then controlled to a stop by holding his hips in place. One of Eren’s arms travelled further down his nape where he let his hand caress the skin and finger the end of his hair. It moved down his back and Eren felt his index and middle finger just reach the start of Levi’s back-fin.

While Eren was considerably more playful than Levi, who seemed like he was holding back, Eren succeeded in lulling him further into the kiss, tilting his head and sucking on his tongue. Apart from the blue colour Eren didn’t notice much of a difference, other than how Levi was stronger and more dominating in that part, just like the rest of him.

When Levi moved his body to push himself upwards Eren dropped his head back and unintentionally let a moan fall from his mouth as his body grinded against his in just the right way.

The merman stilled as he hovered over Eren, supported by his arms, his eyes narrowing as he watched Eren drop his hands to fall lifeless beside him. He was a complete mess, his hair pointing all directions against the pillow, his cheeks red and his eyes lidded. Still gasping, his chest was moving at a much faster rate and when Eren moved a hand to touch his own lower lip Levi moved in for the kill again.

He rolled his body again and attached his mouth against Eren’s neck, his tongue escaping to trail his neckline up and down, lips trying to grab on while he breathed hot air against the sensitive skin.

“Oh god,” Eren whimpered above him and lifted one leg over Levi’s tail which he in turn felt wrapping around his other leg.

Levi sucked on his collar bones and followed his vein up to place kisses under his jaw, then latching onto the skin on the other side while pinning down the human. He was in full control and moved his hips only every now and then, making Eren whine and beg under him, trying to move for more friction.

“Please, Levi-” he whispered but stopped speaking only to gasp as the merman above him opened his mouth further and dragged his teeth along his skin. Apart from the heat of the situation and horniness from the teen he was now tensing further from the thrill of danger.

Eren was always aware Levi could kill him if he wanted to. But he also knew he wasn’t a brainless, instinct-driven animal that would. He had compared their relationship to one last year when they first met, remembering the infamous story of a man in Trost who had kept a bear as a pet. It had grown up and stayed friendly until one day it slashed up its owner’s body, leaving him only just alive before running for the woods.

Though Eren doubted Levi would do something similar the thought sometimes hit him, especially when they would tease each other or get close to fights; the merman would narrow his eyes and his pupils dilated and in the moment Eren could feel his own instincts to flee arise.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Levi further gaped and let his teeth scrape against each side of Eren’s neck as he tilted his head to the side. He didn’t press hard enough to make him bleed but Eren still felt a sensation of fear hit him. This was how wolves killed, teeth around the neck. Was it how merpeople killed humans? Went for the neck first?

Eren arched further on the mattress and Levi’s body followed, his set of upper and lower teeth moving further apart over his neck.

Further apart.

Much further apart than should be possible.

A weak noise escaped Eren - more close to fear than arousal now - and Levi leaned back as Eren pushed himself back against the wall, looking at him with wide eyes, still panting.

Levi was wearing his predator look, eyes watching Eren’s with an intensity the human couldn’t explain, he could only imagine this was how mice felt under snakes, rats under cats and rabbits under foxes.

Then it hit him.

Levi was trying to scare him.

He was warning him and testing the waters, trying Eren’s dedication and trust, exploring his bravery. To see to which level the human could handle the situation.

Eren took another set of breaths before closing his mouth – which he just realized was gaping - and meet Levi’s eyes, forcing his nerves to calm down. Something changed on the merman’s face and Eren felt his tail spin tighter around his leg. But he didn’t let himself react with fright and simply raised his head an inch, assuring the other he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m not scared,” Eren said in a serene voice, watching Levi’s reaction. His eyes narrowed further and Eren sighed into the silence before letting himself fall down onto the pillow again, constantly under the other’s eyes.

“Did you know our jaws dislocate? It makes it possible to eat larger preys,” Levi spoke with his deep voice and Eren’s body responded to the information, the familiar feeling of adrenaline and his pulse speeding up. Eren still didn’t falter, he kept his eyes on Levi while he moved his hand to gently place it against the side of his face. When the silver-eyed didn’t say anything Eren moved his fingers and pressed against the skin of his cheek, closer to his ear. Levi opened his mouth and Eren couldn’t prevent the gasp that escaped him as he bared his teeth above him.

“Show me,” he then breathed and Levi obeyed.

Eren knew Levi was dangerous.

Eren knew he was considered a monster to most people and he knew Levi was high up on the food chain.

Levi looked truly terrifying as he opened his mouth but then his lower jaw continued to move and Eren felt himself silently gape at the other. The merman was gaping wider than what should be possible and the view looked so odd bust mostly petrifying. A memory of a snake engulfing a large toad came to mind, a brutal battle Eren had viewed with Jean as kid. This was the same, Levi would be able to bite all the way around Eren’s neck, maybe even his head.

Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach, the hairs on his body standing up and goose bumps were appearing on his forearms. Eren silently shuddered as Levi leaned over him, closer and closer until he snapped his jaw shut just in front of his nose, the human jumping with the sudden sound and movement.

Eren stared back at him, waiting for the other to say something but when he didn’t he picked up the courage, pushing his shoulders back against the mattress, his chest pushing out slightly.

“Now kiss me,” Eren ventured and Levi’s face was now falling into a familiar, amused expression. He raised one eyebrow and Eren couldn’t help the corners of his mouth to rise, a small smile falling onto his face before Levi claimed his lips once again.

He was gentler this time and moved his lips tenderly against the human’s. Soon enough Eren demanded more attention and tried to lull Levi into another making-out session, teasing his tongue.

It was kind of dysfunctional, morally wrong and pretty fucked up, but Eren loved the danger, grinning back into the kiss.

Eren had passed Levi’s test while still receiving the warning. He knew what he was getting into and while his instincts to run sometimes revealed themselves Eren always stayed. He loved the thrill of the danger, something Levi would laugh and shake his head to.

He was nowhere done with the teen however and Eren approved with a moan as Levi yet again rolled his body against him.

It had already gotten warmer in the small bunk and Eren caved for more as Levi moved to end the kiss. He laughed above him and gave him what he wanted for another minute, putting more intensity to the kiss so when he leaned down to continue on his neck Eren was pleased and lightheaded.

With both his legs wrapping around the tail Eren let his hips do what they wanted and moved up against the other, his cock trapped against his own stomach and the sheets.

“Do you want me to continue?” Levi asked into the darkness and Eren thrust his hips up in reply. The merman still didn’t move, however, and Eren looked at the other.

“Okay,” he breathed and while he was known to be bold and quite daring he was still nervous and Levi gently kissed him again as he moved one hand to travel down his stomach. He grabbed his hips again rolled them around, letting Eren sit on his hips.

The sheets had now fallen off his shoulders and pooled around his back and while Eren blushed as he was completely exposed to the other Levi continued to reassure and comfort him by caressing his hands against his body, up his sides, down his legs. He also leaned up and kissed his lips, one hand moving up to trail his ear and down his neck, to his shoulder and over his arm.

Eren’s hands moved to get leverage in his sitting position and he shuddered as he felt Levi’s sculpted muscles under his hands as he rested them on his abdomen.

If Eren had been Levi, sitting basically in a mid-sit-up, he knew he would have been straining. However, Eren doubted Levi’s physique and muscles worked the same way for him. He certainly didn’t look like he was straining.

The brown-haired loved kisses, he definitely did but his body was craving something more, further attention somewhere else and he moved his hips again in a reminder to the other.

“So needy,” Levi mumbled against his lips and Eren grinned into the kiss, rhythmically humping him again until Levi stopped him with his hands against his sides.

He snaked his hand further down and Eren shivered as he let his fingers travel over his cock, arching his back. With gentle hands Levi grabbed him and gave a couple slow tugs. His grip was way too soft though, at least to do anything more than tease the human.

“Harder,” Eren breathed into the kiss and Levi complied, letting his fingers wrap around tighter and pump him from the bottom to the top. Eren thought he heard Levi whisper something along the lines of “You’re so soft,” and he didn’t quite understand. He felt completely rock solid in the merman’s hands.

“Ah, fuck,” Eren moaned and opened his eyes to look down at Levi’s hand working him. He twisted his wrist and let his thumb rub against the head, Eren closing his eyes again, letting his hips start bucking. Levi didn’t stop him this time and watched silently as Eren moved above him, eyes closed and face illuminated by the moonlight. Expression in pleasure and body driven by instinct.

Falling down to rest his head against Levi’s chest, Eren cursed as he heard Levi growl under him again. Something about the wild and primal behaviour made Eren’s stomach tingle and his muscles to spasm. He sat up again and scooted back only to open his eyes and look down at Levi when he felt something bump against his ass.

He breathed heavily and he looked back and forth between Levi’s two eyes.

“Do you… do you want me… to?” Eren asked and moved one of his hands from Levi’s abs to feel behind himself.

“No,” Levi said and Eren let his hand fall back forward again. Levi spun them around again, manhandling Eren like he weighted nothing and leaned over him again, tail curling up Eren’s body. He sped up his hand on Eren’s shaft when the teen started getting louder. His fin wrapped around his leg again and the movement reminded him once more of a snake, a snake strangling its prey.

“L-let me… I’m,” Eren moaned and mumbled under him, thrashing and gasping. His eyes shut open and a final pump pushed him over the edge. His vision was lit up and the white light surrounded his mind as he came into Levi’s hand, onto his own stomach, arching his back as he silently screamed. Pumping him dry while also giving his neck attention Levi made a mess of Eren, _again_.

He was getting overstimulated and a hand on Levi’s arm was enough to stop his movement, both two’s breaths mingling in the small space.

“That was…” Eren started and then giggled. He stared at the ceiling with lidded eyes and didn’t do more than grunt when Levi rearranged him, cleaned him up with the corner of one of the sheets. After pushing the pillows closer the black-haired took one of them and lied down behind him, tail familiarly wrapping around one of Eren’s legs.

“You should sleep,” he mumbled against his hair and Eren merely nodded. He was already halfway into dream-land and as warm hands embraced him from behind he finally, completely relaxed.

***-***-***

When Eren woke up it was an understatement to say he wasn’t nervous. Yesterday had gone by as a fire and now he was left with the aftermath. Turning his head on the pillow his eyes fell onto the sleeping black-haired man beside him.

He had never caught Levi sleeping before and Eren took a moment to watch him. He was completely still, barely moving at all and when he did it was the end of his tail twitching. It was still wrapped around Eren’s calf and foot. It felt hard and dry when he tried to move his leg and he knew Levi felt uncomfortable.

The small crease that usually existed between his eyebrows was gone and he looked peaceful. His chest was moving half the speed Eren’s was and he wondered if the merman didn’t need to breathe as much as humans, just like how his heart beat slower. He leaned forwards and put his ear to the warm chest, listening intently. He could hear the quiet thumping which now beat even slower than usual.

“Fuck,” a voice groaned above him and Eren raised his head to look at him, Levi’s face nowhere near peaceful anymore. He moved to sit up and Eren moved back, arranging the sheets around his body.

What a nice ‘good morning’.

“I need to get into the water,” Levi groaned and Eren softly nodded. They had stayed nights here in the boat and at the boat house before and the human quickly learned Levi wasn’t a creature with a good morning mood.

Eren was sitting closest to the door and turned to open it up, properly meeting the morning sun that was just rising over the pine trees. The light had hit his face through the window and was the reason he woke up so early. It also meant they hadn’t really slept for long.

He crawled out from the bunk, sheets wrapped around his body. Standing hidden behind the railing Eren looked around the shore to make sure no one was around. Levi crawled up from behind him and pushed himself off the edge, falling ungracefully into the water with a loud splash.

Eren’s shirt had fallen down in the sand and none of his clothes had really dried as the sun just appeared. His grey pants were dry enough he decided and struggled into them, briefly glaring at his still soaked underwear hanging on the railing. He squeezed the water out and hung them up again, shaking the shirt and placing it beside them.

The morning sun was always warm in the still cold air but Eren still huddled the sheets over his shoulders, turning to look out the shore and towards the water.

Neither Levi nor he had spoken about what happened yesterday yet and embarrassment filled him as he walked up onto the boat again and sat on the edge where Levi had jumped off. He didn’t feel like he had ‘contributed’ much yesterday and while Levi had told him no when he offered he still felt like an ass.

He could see Levi moving around in the water, his golden scales reflecting in the sunlight. Eren let his legs dangle over the edge and absently followed the movement Levi created as he followed his tail with his feet.

Wrapped in the still warm sheets, his stomach groaned and Eren slapped a hand to it, leaning his head against the wooden railing as his eyes tiredly stared out the lake.

He stood again after a minute and walked back to the rocks where he carefully sat down and cupped his hands in the water, making sure the sheets around him didn’t get wet. He drank a few gulps and shook his hands dry when he was done, drying his mouth with the back of his forearm.

Eren was still a bit lost at what to do as Levi still hadn’t surfaced. He was still here and swimming around in the water, his dorsal fin appearing every now and then.

Sitting down again Eren rested his arms on his knees, yawning and trying to blink the tiredness from his eyes. He gave up a moment later and fell back against the rocks, closing his eyes and arranging his head against the hard rocks.

“Are you still cold?” Levi asked beside him and Eren rolled his head to the left to look down at him. He had crawled up on the shoreline, his tail beating the waves below him.

“Nah,” Eren said before yawning again. He sat up and pressed his lips together to prevent the shy smile that wanted to creep onto his face. Eren generally smiled a lot when he looked at Levi and he was always ecstatic when he could make the other smile. Even if it was amusement over Eren’s stupidity or a teasing smirk or grin. So when Levi gave him a knowing smile Eren couldn’t help but to beam like the frickin’ sun. He was on the edge of giggling and throwing up at his own happiness.

‘Eren, pull it together, you’re not a fucking 12 year old girl, what the hell.’

“Can I kiss you?” He asked instead as to try to man up himself and Levi seemed to appreciate his bravery, nodding and waiting for him to move. As Eren moved to crawl on his knees towards him Levi slipped backwards into the water, the playful smile falling onto his face. Eren pouted but followed, his hands and knees now getting hit by the waves.

When Eren yet again moved forwards and Levi backed the human stopped, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you trying to lure me into the water or what?” he asked and Levi looked clueless, playing innocent.

“Levi,” he whined, twice, and the merman then laughed and finally moved forwards. He placed both hands on either side of Eren’s hips and leaned forwards, letting his lips fall onto Eren’s. He rolled his tongue against his and Eren liked this kind of ‘good morning’ a lot better.

***-***-***

“I kind of thought you were together with Petra,” Eren said as he was lying beside Levi three days later, playing with his fingers. He had been busy with work for two full days and only briefly went to meet Levi yesterday for an hour or two before Armin and Marco found him, asking him to join them.

“I didn’t think you were that sharp,” Levi said and rolled around on the floorboards, moving on top of the human. He held himself up to not completely crush him but his warm body was still comfortable.

“…what? Wait, you are?” Eren asked in shock, eyes widening. He looked up at Levi from the floor and the merman furrowed his eyebrows as the human under him suddenly had multiple shins. He put a hand on his forehead and pushed his head down again.

“Were. Olou is her partner now.”

“Ah,” Eren stared at the ceiling, the sunlight hitting the waters like usual, creating a light show over their heads, “have you had many _partners_?”

“You get a lot of attention for being the best hunter… but most people leave for the shitty attitude,” Levi said with such honesty Eren was surprised.

“Oh, you’re actually aware of your shitty attitude?” He snickered and looked up at him, Levi once again pressing his head down.

“Stop looking up, you look ugly,” he scolded him. “You know I demand my partners to keep up to my standards of hygiene. A lot of merpeople eat their own shit, actually.”

Eren gaped, staring at him in disbelief. Levi looked back with a straight face. Seconds passed before a small nose escaped his mouth.

“That wasn’t even funny, what the hell?” Eren asked and Levi let his chuckle fully out, pressing Eren’s head down for the third time.

“And stop pressing my head down, let me and my chins alone,” he said, this time laughing himself.

Eventually Eren let his head fall back against the wooden floor, tilting it further back to look out the open boat doors of the little house. With the surreal view, clouds as ground and water as the sky, tree tops hanging, Eren stared in fascination. He let a hand travel into Levi’s hair as the merman started kissing his way up his neck. The only sound being the waves and birds, like usual. It was nice and peaceful, as always.

“Have you ever loved a human?” Eren spoke, voice almost a whisper. The way the waves were crashing under them he was uncertain if Levi even heard him.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t; but Levi said nothing. The lips on his throat, the smooth breathing against his jaw, nothing stopped or slowed down.

Eren moved his arms, following his body up until they stretched above his head, held out towards the upside down picture. Then he let them fall, hanging over the edge, over the crashing waves. Letting his eyes fall closed he thought of another world where he could have been born like Levi, where he could swim deep below with him and hide on the bottom of the ocean, never surfacing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those not in favor of merman cock for the next chapter, please raise your hand.  
> Now, those in favor, please expose your titties. Wiggle them a little bit. Yeh, thanks.


	16. Soap

The first day of May Eren woke up from another nightmare, clutching the sheets in his hands before rolling over to his side. The white curtains didn’t do much to keep the bright sunlight out and Eren let his eyes adjust for a couple of seconds. Usually he would turn over to hide his eyes behind an arm to keep the light out and fall back asleep. But after the nightmare he couldn’t remember anymore he took the daylight in with joy. He remembered something about jumping from heights and people screaming, a white horse and a forest.

The sounds of a bed creaking behind him made Eren turn around and meet Marco’s tired eyes.

“Good morning,” the older mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyebrow, his shirt ripped in the front. It had been used when Marco used to help the fishermen at the port, carrying the cages made of chicken wire always ripped his shirts. Now he slept in the unpresentable piece as he couldn’t exactly afford throwing away clothes.

Eren nodded towards Marco and turned back towards the window as the other stood up and walked over to their improvised sink on the old desk, a mirror propped up against the wall on it. The old wash basin was left from Marco’s parents and his mother had painted the bowl herself. It was really pretty, the white porcelain only cracked slightly on one side.

Marco washed his face in the lukewarm water and dried off, taking the steps carefully as he ascended down the attic stairs.

Armin had the bed closest to the window but wasn’t met with the stream of light because of it. He looked deep in sleep as Eren slowly sat up in his bed, bringing his knees to his chest. He had to work late at the tavern today and wasn’t exactly looking forwards to it. There was a younger girl who’d gotten a job as a waiter and she was way too inexperienced in Eren’s opinion. And too young to be hit on by the rude sailors.

Then again she was under Jean’s care and had to learn from him, something the horse-face wasn’t happy with. Eren rarely talked to her, Linnea, but Jean had her following him like a baby duck. And while Eren was looking forwards to working with Jean this evening it now also meant Linnea would be there. And she always had a thousand questions and stories, often bragging about her father, a rich businessman from Stohess.

“What are you thinking about?” Armin’s groggy voice filled the room and Eren looked over at him, smiling tiredly. The blonde was resting his head in his hand, elbow on his pillow, his naked chest pale in the light.

“Linnea,” Eren shrugged and Armin nodded, yawning.

“You’re working evening, right?”

“Yeah, after dinner-time so at least there’s that,” Eren said and reached down for the two socks lying at the bottom of his bed, having kicked them off after going to bed the previous night. After a quick smell-check they were slipped on.

“Are you gonna go over to the boat house?” he asked casually and Eren tried to play it cool, shrugging again.

“Maybe.”

“…You go there a lot nowadays,” Armin said after a pause while Eren got to his feet, picking out a shirt in their shared drawer. It was a faded wine-red and he put it back down towards the right. While Eren wouldn’t mind sharing his clothes with his two friends Marco was pickier about it, he could even get mad if Eren showed up in his clothes. And when it came to Marco his _mad_ was always a surprise to everyone so after Eren angered him twice he listened. Armin told Eren it was okay to borrow his clothes but Eren knew he only said so because they were too tight around Eren’s body. And Armin could easily wear Eren’s clothes, the shirts only hanging a bit too low over his hips.

Eren looked at Armin’s face for a moment but then continued shuffling around for a shirt instead.

“You know, Eren, I asked Sasha yesterday if she had fun when you stayed at her place,” Armin spoke with a calm voice, Eren tensing up.

“She told me you were never there, she didn’t even know what I was talking about.”

Eren didn’t reply as he found a long-sleeved shirt in a dark blue-ish colour, throwing it over his head. His pants were hung over the footstool by the door and he grabbed them, checking the pockets.

“Why do you feel like you need to lie-“

“Because it’s weird, Armin. Okay?” Eren exclaimed, turning to his friend and dropping his arms holding the pair of pants, “I… Levi’s like… I could easily consider him a close friend but I’m not supposed to, right?”

Armin didn’t reply and merely looked at him. He still looked tired.

“I just don’t want you to lie,” he said after Eren had gone back to dressing and was putting on his shoes, sitting on the stool.

“I’m sorry,” was all Eren came up with after thinking through possible replies. Standing up and awkwardly scratching his arm he gave Armin a short, assuring smile before heading for the stairs, bowing his head as he climbed down backwards.

***-***-***

The wind was calm and the clouds few, the water surface mostly still on the lake. Eren was sitting on the ledge in the boat house and lazily swinging his legs back and forth, hands on the wooden planks. The boat doors were closed and Eren was watching an unaware shoal of perches move around the bottom.

When Levi swam under the doors the movement almost made Eren jump. He exhaled as he moved to stand up, the merman coming up to the surface.

“I’m glad you’re not completely stupid,” was his first words and Eren raised an eyebrow, lifting the shirt over his head. He would stop to fold it but was a bit too eager, throwing it on the floor.

“For not jumping in?” He asked as he wobbled out of his pants, socks and shoes already placed neatly by the wall. Levi nodded and Eren shrugged.

“Common sense,” he said before sitting down, wiggling his toes before pushing himself off the edge. He closed his eyes as he hit the water, blowing out the air through his nostrils as he swam upwards to the surface. He had to dry off his eyes and swipe his hair to the side but grinned as Levi swam up to him, greeting him with a small smirk.

Eren ducked under the boat doors as he followed Levi out, going right as they usually did.

“Did you see the big pirate ship which arrived yesterday? It’s said to have skulls spiked to the rudder underneath,” Eren asked after diving underwater for a second to sort out his hair quickly. Levi surfaced in front of him, swimming backwards.

“There was a big ship Petra was talking about… but I doubt it has skulls stuck to it.”

“Well,” Eren replied, swimming faster and catching up to him so he could grab his hips, stealing a free ride, “if you haven’t seen it you don’t know.”

Levi looked disinterested as he continued swimming, meeting Eren’s smiling eyes. Diving underneath Eren had to let go before he followed, watching Levi disappear deeper into the water. The human continued following the side of the lake as he reached the old oak which roots were reaching far out into the water. Eren propped himself up on one, sitting with water just above his bellybutton.

“Get up here,” he called after another minute of no Levi and the merman appeared a second later, only his eyes above the surface.

“So, has Eld gotten any better?” Eren asked, paddling his legs in the water, Levi swimming forwards and resting his chin on his thigh, the human stopping his moving. He let a hand move up to push Levi’s hair back, the merman closing his eyes.

“He’s better but he’s gonna have to stay in the deep for a while. Which he’s not happy with, of course,” Levi said, moaning quietly as Eren massaged his head, smiling at the merman’s reaction.

They stayed like that for a while, Levi looking like he was sleeping while Eren pulled his fingers through his hair, holding onto the tree’s roots with his other.

Levi twitched for a moment and Eren watched his face turn into a frown, he slowly continued with his brushing but the next second Levi growled, jerking backwards. He spun around and dove underneath, Eren holding his hand in the air where Levi’s head had just been. Ha stared in confusing at the water.

The merman appeared above water, holding something brown and thrashing in his hands.

“What the hell!?” Eren exclaimed, leaning away from him and the wild animal.

Levi didn’t look amused at all as he held it by its neck and lower body, tossing it up towards land. Eren watched in bewilderment as the animal, an otter, ran up the grass and disappeared into the woods. He turned to Levi, demanding an explanation.

“The little fuckers bite our tails, I hate them,” he said, keeping his eyes where the otter had ran away in fear, like it would come back to annoy him again. Eren couldn’t help chuckling in astonishment, impressed Levi caught it. Then again he was probably faster underwater.

“Can’t you eat them?” he asked, jumping over to a branch of the tree which was positioned lower, leaning back towards the previous one.

“Of course I can. But do you want me to start snacking on water rats right now?” He raised an eyebrow and Eren shook his head, chuckling in embarrassment.

“Is there something faster than you under water?” he curiously asked instead as Levi swam up to him again, hanging with his arms around the branch, his tail moving up to the surface. He inspected the end with careful fingers, thumbing at a particular spot, scowling.

“Smaller fish are typically harder, it’s easier to catch a shark than a small spiked eel. There are bonefish in this area which are almost impossible to catch. And neither very nice to eat because of their many bones,” Levi said, Eren watching him pick at his tail, still looking bothered.

Eren slowly leaned forwards and gently pushed his face next to Levi’s, nosing up his jaw before reaching his ear and striking, putting his teeth around it and biting teasingly. Levi waited a second before leaning his head back, looking at Eren with unamused eyes. Eren, however, was all smiles.

The merman dropped his tail below water again and swam up between Eren’s legs, pressing his lips against his neck. As the human knew Levi was competitive he expected the teeth scraping against his skin, gently but enough for him to feel it. He placed his hands on Levi’s shoulders, pushing him down into the water again, but not before giving him a quick kiss on his lips.

“I wanna swim a bit, it’s still calm,” he said and moved off the branch, turning to hold onto it instead.

Levi waited patiently while Eren dived underwater a couple times, letting his eyes adjust to being open. He blinked a couple of times as he turned around and looked at Levi, the merman swimming in front of him.

Eren knew he probably looked ridiculous, with his cheeks full of air, eyes narrowed and waving his arms to keep him still. He surfaced for a moment, swimming out towards the lake and took a deep breath, diving down deeper.

Levi was there below him, his tail curling as he swam along the bottom, picking at a rocks and plants. The bottom was a lot closer on this side of the lake and Eren pushed himself down, a trail of bubbles escaping him. He watched Levi lift a flat rock and widened his eyes as a big crab ran to the side to hide. Eren had to swim towards the surface again and appreciated when Levi helped him get up there faster, his hands under his arms.

The human was eager to diving underneath again and Levi would have to force him to slow down, holding him above the surface before he was happy with Eren’s speed of breathing.

Eren enjoyed hugging himself to Levi’s back, his legs stuck around his hips as the merman swam faster along the bottom but he also felt incredibly childish doing it. He knew he was younger than Levi, by a lot, and didn’t want to appear as a child next to him. So he would blame it on enjoying the closeness but he was sure Levi knew he thought it was fun.

A ray-fish appeared slowly gliding over the bottom and Levi carefully picked it up by its sides, holding it up for Eren who let his fingers travel along the underside of the fish. It was soft and slimy, like most fishes and Levi released a hand to point his finger at the mouth of the fish. Eren gave him a suspicious look but Levi held the ray forwards. Eren slowly and hesitantly reached for the opening.

He shout have expected the bite. But as his fear ran off while he swam upwards he realized it didn’t actually hurt. He wasn’t even bleeding and there was no mark. Levi surfaced in front of him and Eren pouted.

“Why do you have to be so mean?”

“It’s just funny,” Levi said, wearing one of his rare grins, “you’re like a merchild discovering things for the first time. You do everything I tell you to.”

“Well aren’t I supposed to trust you?” Eren exclaimed, splashing the water as he threw his arms out.

“No, not really,” Levi smiled as he moved up to sneak his arms around Eren’s waist, placing his lips against his chin.

Eren sighed before leaning down, meeting Levi’s wet lips instead. His eyes fluttered close as he snaked his arms around Levi’s shoulders, legs moving familiarly around his middle. Levi’s scales were always smooth against his skin underneath, as long as he followed the correct direction. Eren enjoyed toying with his back-fin when they kissed, licking along Levi’s lower lip.

“Can we sleep in the boat tonight?” he asked between kisses and slid his other hand into Levi’s hair, sensually brushing through it. Levi chuckled into his mouth, most likely because he knew Eren was using his best tactics, and squeezed his ass.

“Such a spoiled brat.”

“Good,” Eren said, pleased, and let a foot travel down Levi’s tail, smiling when he felt the end wrap around his ankle.

***-***-***

He stumbled through the trees as the moon was high in the sky, rubbing his forehead as another mosquito bit him. The lantern he held in front of him was great for seeing where he was going but a magnet for the little bugs. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt but his legs were a battlefield, he could only anticipate waking up in the middle of the night to scratch his legs up.

When Eren got off work he was at least an hour late, packaging a small bag of left-overs and hurrying towards the west part of town. Walking through the thick forest was harder than swimming to the hidden bay but Eren was worried about taking the road by the alone white house on the hill. He suspected it belonged to the old man Levi had talked about, the guy who Petra was friends with and who owned the boat. Eren wound wander through the bushes and thicket before jumping onto the small, over-grown path which led to the bay, when he was sure the house was out of sight.

Levi was nowhere to be seen and after Eren had called for him a couple of times he climbed onto the boat, hanging the lantern on the hook while he took out the sheets and pillows to dust them in the wind, nothing else to do. He had food in his bag but planned to share it with Levi. They had discovered the merman had a passion for grapes. Red ones in particular. The blacksmith in town had a wild grape tree and Eren would sneak over to pluck some when it got dark. They were a bit too sour for his taste but Levi loved them.

When he heard a splash he turned towards the edge where Levi hauled himself up, supporting himself on his arms. Eren folded the sheets and tossed then back into the cabin together with the two pillows. He had brought a towel with him a previous night and now kept it at the boat, Levi grabbing it from the railing and drying his face.

“I got some food, I haven’t eaten yet,” Eren said as he crawled inside, sitting cross-legged on the mattress. Unpacking the content of his paper bag he placed them out on it, grabbing the water skin to take a sip. There was an entire sweet-water lake outside so he didn’t exactly have to ration it carefully.

Levi rolled inside and closed to door behind him, his tail immediately circling Eren as he propped his torso up on one elbow. His hair was still wet but it fell into its usual side parting. However, there was something different about it.

“Did you cut your hair or something?” Eren asked, handing him the bunch of grapes.

“Petra helped me,” he confirmed and Eren nodded, reaching over to trace his fingers over the undercut. It had gotten longer over time and now it was back to how Eren first remembered Levi’s hair.

“I had this woman at the bar today,” Eren started,” she was there with two other ladies and they were sitting close to the kitchen. They were talking about sirens and stuff,” Eren said, propping up a knee to rest his arm on it while he bit into the piece of bread. He had baked it earlier and stolen the end-piece with him before he left. It had almonds and apricot inside, which wasn’t his favourite but it had to do.

“-and she said she watched her neighbour get drowned from his skiff. Like, he was fishing early in the morning and she walked outside to clean her dishes or something. But he was an old man apparently,” Eren said, Levi listening while he snacked on the grapes.

“So?”

“Well, I mean… an old man?” Eren shrugged, Levi sighing.

“Easy prey, right? Too much skin but you know, same thing really. I don’t know who did it if you’re wondering though.”

“But like, I’ve basically lived here my entire life and while I remember people around me drowning and dying close to water, I feel like there’s been… a lot more happening recently.”

“It’s not though, I think you’re just becoming aware of it now because you know the cause of those deaths. But you humans are also good at drowning on your own, you know,” Levi said, throwing a grape into his mouth. Eren sighed as he wasn’t pleased with the answer he got. Maybe Levi was right, but it still felt like there had been a lot more talk about sirens in town.

“I’m not hungry anymore, do you want the pears?” Eren asked, watching Levi shake his head. He put his stuff towards the corner of the small cabin and lay down on the mattress with his back to Levi so he could look out the small window. It would be a nice breakfast tomorrow, either way.

Levi pressed the last grape to Eren’s lips and he accepted it, pulling up his legs as Levi’s tail moved below him, curling around his body like he had a tendency to do. The wood was creaking from time to time around them but the waves were still calm against the stern of the boat. It was peaceful.

“Are you tired?” Levi asked as he brushed Eren’s hair away from his face, his body warm against his back.

“A bit,” Eren replied honestly and closed his eyes as Levi leaned down to breathe into his hair, nose against his ear and press his lips to his neck.

“You smell different. What have you done?” Levi asked against his neck and Eren giggled as his lips moved, tickling his skin.

“Armin bought some rose soap or something,” he said and rolled onto his back, Levi leaning over him immediately. He followed his jaw up and down while tracing his arms down Eren’s sides, catching onto his shirt on the way up. Eren reached down and wiggled out of his shirt, almost getting the fabric stuck over his head to Levi’s amusement.

“I want to make you feel good too,” Eren said as he watched Levi unbutton his pants, looking up at him while continuing moving his fingers. It was dark in the small space as Eren had forgotten the lantern outside, probably blown out by the wind by now.

Levi seemed to consider it, watching Eren’s face for any regret and the human took the opportunity to sit up and kiss him, holding Levi’s chin in one hand. His other trailed to his neck where he let his fingers explore the short hair on his nape. Levi responded eagerly to the kiss and quickly took charge, luring Eren’s tongue into his mouth where he gently bit down.

“Are you sure you know how to play with the grownups?” Levi asked and Eren nodded impatiently into the kiss, trailing his hand from his chin down to his neck, to his chest. Eren had a thing for Levi’s abs, he loved tracing his fingers between the lines and hold his palms flat against him, fingers spread. Levi was always warm and Eren pressed himself closer, sitting with both knees on either side of his tail.

Levi spun to the side and Eren followed, chuckling as his movement was lacking the grace Levi had. Eren’s pants were thrown off and Levi rolled over so he was lying the opposite way, kissing down Eren’s knees. Levi had a thing for Eren’s thighs, the skin was sensitive and lighter than the rest of his body, the merman pushing them apart so he could nip on the inside.

Eren knew he had deliberately put them in that position, lying opposite directions on the mattress, to give Eren the opportunity. The human let his fingers carefully explore the small, small scales which faded into bigger ones just below his stomach, the start of his tail. There was a bulge a bit below, lower than Eren’s crotch was from his stomach but then again, Levi’s tail was really long. He cautiously massaged his hands along the scales, watching Levi with curiosity. The merman was sucking on the skin on the inside of Eren’s thigh, most likely creating marks as he had last time. He couldn’t see his face from his position but Eren figured he could continue.

He wasn’t exactly sure what to do, neither what to expect, but when he trailed his fingers along the top part he realized there was a slit there. He proceeded to press his finger inside but Levi grunted above him, his tail jerking against him.

Was that a no? Or a yes?

Moving his other hand above the sheath again, Eren seemed okay as Levi went back to quietly marking him. His hand had now grasped around Eren’s cock and he was lazily pumping him while directing almost all love to his thighs.

“Stop,” Levi grunted the second time Eren tried to poke his finger inside and the human embarrassingly grunted back. He was too stubborn to remove his hand fully and let two fingers slide against the edge instead, while his other kept rubbing, like he would rub himself through a pair of pants.

When Levi’s lips were around Eren’s member he knew he was doing something right. He was surprised when he felt the bulge grow but it was also getting harder to focus while Levi licked up and down his length, breathing hot air against him. The small room was getting warmer and Eren could feel himself close to sweating. Moving his thumb more firmly against the underside of the sheath, Levi finally thrusted towards his hands.

Eren trailed his two fingers against the slit and turned his eyes towards his hands when he felt it slowly open up. Eren heard the sound of Levi’s back-fin spreading open, extending to its full size behind him.

Levi’s cock was thick at the base, much bigger than what a human’s could be but got slimmer towards the top. Eren discovered it was soft to the touch, the skin felt similar to his but the colour a strong blue, the tip fading into pink.

“Fuck,” Eren heard himself whisper and he kept his fingers running around the hard, opened slit at the bottom of his cock, letting his other grabbing the main prize for his work. He knew how he would pleasure himself, and Levi seemed to know how human dicks worked as well, however, Eren was all new to this.

Starting his pumping a bit slower and keeping his grip gentle didn’t seem to amuse Levi who thrust his tail against him, mouthing around Eren between his legs.

“Can I… taste?” Eren breathed, half moaning as Levi grabbed the base of his dick, jacking him in a tighter grip. The human mimicked his hold and leaned forwards, experimentally sticking out his tongue to press it towards the head.

He didn’t taste weird or of anything in particular, water if anything. Maybe a bit salty, Eren realized as he daringly put his lips around him, going further to hollow his cheeks and suck. Moving his hand up and down the base, Levi hummed around Eren’s cock in response. He hadn’t been going at him for a long time but with all the built up tension, eagerness and pleasure Eren could feel himself getting closer.

“Levi, wait,” he whimpered around his cock, trying to mimic Levi’s hand on him. He was currently using his other to stroke up and down Eren’s bare thighs, which he couldn’t exactly copy, and placed both hands around Levi’s cock, kneading up and down.

Levi relocated both hands to Eren’s hips and he picked up his speed, bobbing his head, skilfully not using his teeth. The human couldn’t help letting go of his focus and leaning back to just _breathe_. He was absently thrusting his hips with Levi’s sucking and whined as another wave of pleasure ran over him.

“Ahh, Levi,” he moaned and grabbed for the sheets, he could feel the orgasm reach him and he fell back into a heap, Levi rolling on top of him, keeping his mouth working and sucking until Eren was shuddering. He swallowed everything down, as usual, licking and twirling his tongue around the head as Eren came down from his high.

“Shit,” Eren gasped, listening to Levi’s breathy chuckle above him. Eren gave it a moment before he pushed himself up, his eyes traveling down Levi’s cock which was still standing up, glistening from the wet work Eren had put into it.

“You look hungry,” Levi laughed and Eren inattentively licked his lips, rolling over so he could put each legs on either side of Levi’s lower tail, carefully traveling his hands up his scales. He didn’t let his fingers catch on the sharp, small edges and reached his sheath again, one palm pressing on the underside, moving the muscles in his hands as Levi leaned back. He was watching, Eren could feel it, and closed his eyes after finding his cock with his lips again.

Eren loved his cock.

It was definitely a lot better than Jean’s, the only other cock he had tasted. He almost shuddered at the awkward memory of when he and Jean had gotten way too much alcohol in their systems and came up with the brilliant idea of blowing each other. Jean couldn’t even get hard and they gave up after a while, accepting defeat and falling asleep in Jean’s yard. At least they woke up before his mother or worse, father could find them.

Though Eren couldn’t fully get his mouth around Levi, even as much as he tried, he ended up choking on his size instead. Embarrassed and a bit humiliated he rubbed both hands on his member while clearing his throat, ignoring Levi’s eyes.

“Eren,” Levi growled above him and Eren felt a hand briefly appear in his hair, pushing it out from his face. Eren reached up and tucked a strand behind his ear, placing his slightly swollen lips around the blue skin again, licking up the shaft as sensually as he could.

His tail between Eren’s legs moved backwards as Levi arched his back, Eren following his body as it lifted off the floor. His back-fin extended in an audible snap and hit the mattress, Levi’s hips rising higher. The end of his tail started curling around him, his wide caudal fin slapping against the door and walls.

Levi’s hands were rough as one grabbed his hair in a tight fist and the other held up Eren’s jaw, forcing him to release his cock and look up at him.

Eren got the message and kept moving his hands on Levi as he met his eyes, the merman leaning forwards further to engulf him in an intense kiss, breathing heavier into his mouth. Feeling something wet against his chest, Eren kept pumping his cock in even strokes, his grip tight. Letting Levi invade his mouth with his forceful tongue he almost trembled at his dominance.

It all felt kind of natural. To crawl down into Levi’s embrace afterwards and smile into his kind kiss. His lips were still wet after their feverish kissing but they were soft and gentle against his. Eren moved his hands lightly up Levi’s neck and held his jaw there, taking in all senses, the feel of Levi, the smell and the sounds of their breathing.

“I… I think I could go for a quick dip,” Eren said after a minute and Levi nodded, rolling onto his side, his back-fin expanding fully. Eren traced his fingers along the spikes, from Levi’s back to as far as he could reach from his position.

“They will do that,” Levi mumbled against Eren’s leg as the human had sat up. Eren nodded and reached over to try to press his spikes down, but when he removed his hand they just sprung back out.

Crawling over to the door, Eren was the first to exit the boat, stretching his arms into the air. He stopped by the railing after a second thought and let Levi jump into the water first. The merman slipped over the edge and disappeared into the dark water. It wasn’t deep enough to dive into Eren sat down on the edge and jumped in, feet first instead, the water reaching his chest.

Even in his warmth the water was a bit cold and he shuddered, swimming underneath to wash his face.

Eren looked out the lake, falling backwards to float on his back. He moved his toes up to the surface, wiggling them in the water when he saw Levi, way over by the treeline. Only his head was above the surface and his eyes looked almost scared.

How did he get there so fast? And why was he staring so intensely?

Eren’s mind caught up faster than his eyes and a terrible sting erupted in his stomach as he realized the eyes weren’t Levi’s. He quickly struggled to get standing again but when he looked towards the treeline he couldn’t see anyone anymore. Eren hugged his arms around himself as he walked backwards, towards land, hoping he wouldn’t slip on the wet rocks under his feet.

“L-Levi?” he called in fear, snapping his head towards the right where someone appeared. Eren almost screamed, _almost_ , but exhaled in comfort as he recognized Levi.

“I,” he started but shook his head, seeing Levi’s disbelief even before he said anything.

“What?” he prodded and followed as Eren walked back onto the shore.

“I just thought I saw something, never mind. I think I’m just tired,” he said and climbed onto the boat, reaching for the towel to dry him off. Levi didn’t reply but jumped up onto the edge, scooting closer to Eren and accepting the towel.

They crawled together inside the cabin, Eren with his back to Levi’s chest as usual, the sheets now covering his body after the cold swim. He felt comfortable and content, the night owl’s hooting occasionally outside. The temperature of May was chilly enough for Eren to huddle closer into Levi, closing his eyes as he felt both tired and pleased.

Yet, there was a thought, in the back of his head, which made Eren furrow his eyes as he fell asleep.


	17. Ymir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the amazing ~~spiderman~~ aeostival on tumblr who drew [this fucking masterpiece](http://aeostival.tumblr.com/post/137583396790/levi-from-oppa86oppas-wonderful-fanfic-the-old)
> 
> Thank you so much, dear~ ♥

“Have you ever had cooked fish?” Eren asked as he sat crouched on the shore, washing his hands in the water. Levi looked at him from the deck of the boat, his tail hanging over the edge.

“I’ve never tried perch,” he replied, one hand ruffling his hair.

“Could you go get the pears? I left them in the room.” Eren asked while grabbing the fish, starting by preparing the bigger one, cutting off the head, scraping off the scales. He was careful with the knife but was much faster at preparing fish since he started working at the tavern; his hands didn’t slip as much anymore.

It was a late morning and they both had overslept, Eren waking up to the sound of Levi slamming the small door open and grunting while he rolled over to the edge. Eren got to sleep for a little while longer before he woke up, his stomach grumbling. He didn’t have any salt or peppers with him when it came to seasoning the fish, so it would most likely taste really bland. But a fire shouldn’t be too hard to make, he always carried his knife and flint in his bag.

Eren cut off the fins, careful with the spiky back fin and threw the fish up towards the small fire, grabbing the second one. He struggled with the head for a while as his knife kept slipping on the gills; he was already incredibly hungry and couldn’t wait to eat the fucking fish.

Something in the water caught his eye and Eren raised his head, his grip around the knife loosing. He didn’t know what he had expected but a shiver ran down his back as pair of brown eyes met his, just below the surface.

Eren moved to hold out the knife in front of him but his reaction was too slow; the person shot up from the water in less than a second and knocked the weapon out of his hand, grabbing onto his feet as Eren was pushed backwards. He turned and tried to kick, grabbing onto rocks but they just slipped down with him.

“Levi!” He got out before his head was under the surface, his body upside down and water seeping into his nose and open mouth. It was all going too quickly, he was still in shock from what was happening. Eren was pulled along and the creature swam fast, really fast, away from the shore, away from Levi. With his hands free, Eren reached out and grabbed the tail, digging his nails into the thin part at the end of the tail.

It must have hurt because he was smacked by the giant tail and flung out into the water, in which direction he wasn’t sure. Then Eren felt his back hit something and he opened his eyes, realizing it was the bottom of the lake. Tilting his head back he could see the surface up there, metres above him. His eyes caught a glimpse of brown to the left and he snapped his head the direction, the merman right in front of him. It stared with angry eyes and swam towards him again, Eren scrambling backwards on slippery rocks.

Her, he realized.

It was a her, a mermaid.

When she got her hands around him they were rough, tighter and she grabbed him only to smash his head against a stone below him. Once, twice, and while Eren tried to put a fight, it was meaningless. Her arms were strong, her mouth grabbing onto his arm when he tried to punch her. It hurt, it hurt so damn much be was barely able to focus on that when his air was starting to run out. Feeling the familiar panic growing in his chest, Eren shut his eyes.

When her hands disappeared and her teeth were ripped out of his arm, Eren could hear groaning and yelling underwater. He was curious to watch but too close to death to care about anything than air as he pushed himself up to the surface. It had to be a good 5 metres and his arm ached. Eren coughed and gasped as he reached the top, immediately turning towards the shore again and swimming as fast as he could while still swallowing down air. He took a quick look behind him, lowering his head underwater and only saw a big mess of blue and brown fins.

When Eren finally reached the shore he didn’t stop as he reached the stones, he crawled up on all fours and rolled onto the short grass. He was panting heavily, staring up at the sky when he heard the sounds of rocks moving. Tilting his head to the side he watched a mermaid he had never seen before hoist herself up onto the shore.

Shit.

Eren was crawling backwards into the grass immediately, the mermaid scrambling to get back into the water as he did. Her eyes were guarding him, scanning up and down and Eren blinked in confusion. Did he scare her?

“Are you Eren?” She asked, her voice much deeper than he had expected.

“Yeah?” he replied, unsure if he should actually give out his name. It wasn’t the mermaid who had attacked him, this was someone else, someone who looked much younger. Even younger than Eren.

She didn’t reply and slipped down below, her dark tail disappearing into the deeper waters.

“Fucking hell,” Eren cursed, sitting back and rubbing his eyes. What was going on? A sting of pain made him twitch and reach for his arm, staring down at his skin covered in red.

Double shit.

He looked up at the shore where no one was in sight, the lake suddenly silent. But he wasn’t going to risk it and instead clamped his other hand over the bite marks. Hissing at the pain, Eren pressed his lips together to prevent the wail from escaping. He needed to wrap his arm in something, quickly.

On wobbly legs Eren made his way toward the boat, climbing up on the deck with some difficulty before he could reach inside to grab one of the sheets. He dropped down onto the rocks again, grabbing the sheet with both hands but gasping in pain when he tried to use his injured arm.

“Fuck,” he whimpered, staring at the bite-marks in his skin. The vision wavered in front of his eyes and Eren widened his eyes in shock as he realized he was about to faint. Focusing on his breathing he sat down onto the rocks, bloody sheets in his hands. Someone was moving over in the water and Eren scrambled backwards, back hitting the stranded boat.

“Stop.”

It was Levi’s voice, demanding and clearly not joyful. Eren couldn’t help but to breathe out in relief as he looked up to a familiar face, watching Hanji and the young mermaid emerge behind Levi.

“-told you he’s not gonna be able to,” Eren listened to Hanji say, watching her worried expression. Levi didn’t face her and stared at Eren instead, his eyes darkening.

“Eren get over here. Hanji, leave. If you don’t do it I’m gonna be there in 5 minutes to rip her ribs out and shove them up her-“

“Okay, fine. I’m sure Nile would be tolerable with that,” she snapped back before disappearing under water with the younger mermaid right behind, never even meeting Eren’s eyes.

His clothes were starting to get cold in the wind and Eren tried not to make a sound when Levi dragged him into the water. It felt nice to wash his arm in the water and he watched as Levi let his fingers gently rub against the skin, his eyes still hard. Eren let himself watch his face instead as the merman worked, grabbing the sheet from the human’s hand to rip a piece off. He looked down at his arm when Levi dried him off with the resuming section of the sheet, cleaning it off quickly before he started wrapping his arm, tying a tight knot when he was finished.

“I’m sorry,” Eren tried but looked up as he realized Levi had said it with him, the merman looking confused himself. Eren shook his head.

“I should have seen her in the water, she got so close and I didn’t have any time to react. I was struggling with the fish-“

“It’s not your fault, Eren,” Levi interrupted him, his shoulders dropping as he released a breath, “Shit, I’m just glad I got to you in time.”

Eren scooted back onto the rocks so he could sit on his back, knees above the surface where he rest his bandaged arm. Levi looked out towards the water and Eren reached out for his arm before he could even do anything.

“Don’t leave,” he hurried, Levi looking back at him. His face somewhat relaxed and he sat up beside him, touching his forehead to Eren’s temple, closing his eyes.

“You have to be more careful, Eren. Please,” he whispered. Eren, who had never heard him talk like that, with such a tiny voice, stared out at the water. His stomach grumbled again but it wasn’t enough to make Eren smile or laugh.

***-***-***

“So she wasn’t from here?” Eren asked, his head resting on his arm that was placed against the seat in the boat. He was sitting on the floor by the back of the boat, Levi leaning onto his crossed arms over the edge.

“I’ve never seen her before but she was apparently from another group, Hanji recognized her,” the merman replied, meeting Eren’s eyes.

“Don’t you have any guards or anything? Or was she allowed to do that?” Mikasa said, her icy voice making Eren turn his head to look at her, too tired to argue by now. She was sitting with the oars in the middle of the boat, only holding them as Levi was the one pushing the boat forwards. Behind her Armin sat curled up in the smaller front seat, his eyes scanning the water.

The sun was getting close to disappearing and Eren kind of wished Levi would speed up. While the night was warm and his arm still hurt, his sister was being a pain in the ass. He just wanted to drop them off already so he could pretend to go to Jean’s place to sleep.

Levi didn’t reply but his narrowed eyes, meeting Mikasa’s equally dark ones and Eren found himself clearing his throat, tapping Levi’s arm when no one reacted.

“How did Hanji know her?” he asked with a lowered voice and Levi dropped the staring contest with his sister.

“Hanji’s been around. Ymir, as her name is, lived under Nile. Another group which usually holds to the northwest. I have no idea what she was doing here alone,” he admitted and Eren nodded.

“You let her go?” Mikasa exclaimed, her hands dropping the oars, the splashing sound making Eren jump.

“I didn’t,” Levi growled, his eyes back on Mikasa.

“Sound to me like you never do anything. Eren’s been near death twice because of you-“

“Mikasa,” Eren pleaded.

“I’m not asking him to come around-“

“You’re weak,” Mikasa spat, Eren looking at her in shock. Armin had moved behind her as well, his eyes watching them all. When Eren heard Levi speak a shiver ran down his spine, goose bumps appearing on his arms.

“Come here, I’ll show you weak,” Levi said with slow words, filled with poison. He watched Mikasa stand up onto her feet and Eren scrambled to his in a second, holding his hands out for her to back off. When the sound of water reached him Eren spun around, his hands immediately pushing on Levi’s shoulders. The boat was tipping, for fucks sake.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he yelled, Levi’s glaring eyes on his now instead.

“Mikasa, stop it,” Armin tried from his spot and Eren hoped he succeeded in calming her, Levi looked like he would shoot up from the water any second, his back fin of spikes completely unfolded.

Eren tried a different approach and removed his hands from Levi’s naked shoulders and spun around, Mikasa still standing in the boat.

“It’s useless, stop,” he begged and her expression faltered, finally sitting down onto the wooden seat. Eren wondered if she understood what he meant. It wasn’t only because Mikasa wouldn’t have a chance against Levi neither in water nor land. It was useless in the sense that Eren wouldn’t change; wouldn’t stop seeing Levi.

No one said anything after that and Eren slowly sat back down onto the seat this time, turning behind him to look at Levi.

“Please, just take us home,” he whispered and Levi replied by starting to push the boat forwards again.

Mikasa didn’t say anything and as soon as the boat was pulled up onto Springer’s shore, she left. Armin gave both Eren and Levi a hasty goodbye before he ran after her, both disappearing behind the house.

“You should go home,” Levi said from the water and Eren furrowed his eyebrows, the wind pushing his hair into his eyes.

“I don’t want to,” Eren stubbornly said but Levi simply ignored him and disappeared under the water, his tail coming up to slap the surface as he dove.

The human waited a couple of seconds but as he didn’t re-appear he began tracking his way home. He found Armin on the road and jogged up to him, no one speaking on the way home.

***-***-***

Eren ran his tongue up his neck and under his chin and jaw, nipping on the skin there as his hands roamed up and down Levi’s sides. The merman was warm under his naked body and Eren shifted his legs, grinding back down against him. It had taken him a while to get used to, but rubbing his thighs upwards hard scales wasn’t very comfortable and he had to slide downwards his body instead, his cock trapped between them. It was leaking and begging for more attention, rubbing against the part where Levi’s skin became scales.

Levi pushed him off him, to Eren’s surprise and rolled onto his side, lips meeting Eren’s as his hand travelled down to properly grab his cock. The human felt like he deserved it after he had so thoughtfully and eagerly sucked Levi’s cock, first thing he did when they fell through the door of the boat.

He felt warm and sated as he rested against Levi’s chest a couple minutes later, still dizzy from his orgasm.

“Do you know many humans? Apart from me,” Eren asked out of the blue and Levi looked at him. He was thinking about the older man who owned the boat. He’d been surprised and somehow a little sad to learn he wasn’t the first nor only human Levi had met. Hanji had mentioned living with humans, even, and Eren found himself wondering if this was actually a lot more common that he knew of.

“Define _know_ ,” Levi replied, his hand reaching over to touch Eren’s hair, running his fingers through in a slow, comforting motion.

“Well, that you’ve met on more than one occasion, like, spoken to,” Eren shrugged.

“There’s a few. I haven’t exactly counted. You have to remember what I am Eren,” he added in a more serious tone, the human lifting his head to look at him. Did he mean the luring?

“Okay, well,” Eren cleared his throat,” humans you haven’t killed. Like, friends and stuff.”

“…and stuff?”

“You know what I mean,” Eren grumbled, pouting. He trailed a finger down Levi’s chest, and then walked back up with two.

“When I was young, much younger than I am now, I joined a group to follow a big ship heading north,” Levi started and Eren stilled, surprised the merman decided to reply for real this time.

“We try attacking at night, when there are just few guards and only one or two sailors awake. We sing or we call, there are many ways, but to our surprise the captain woke up. Everyone from the group was hiding in the deep water while our prettiest female sang. The captain looked over the railing and he only watched her sing, he didn’t do anything else. When she spoke, he replied. But he obviously wasn’t much affected by the calling and declined jumping into the water,” Levi scoffed and Eren nodded for him to continue.

“We followed the boat to shore and stayed by the town for a while. I would see the captain take rounds on the pier every morning and eventually he noticed me. He was smart, he knew what we were and he didn’t get into the water. And I admired that about him,” Levi spoke, seeming deep in thoughts not to notice the scowl Eren was giving him. When he started to continue the story Eren slammed his fist down on his chest, Levi looking up to glare at him. The merman rolled his eyes.

“What? It’s stupid to jump in the water. You’re stupid,” Levi scolded and Eren scoffed, clearly offended.

“ _You_ pulled me down.”

“And _you_ are lucky I’m nice,” Levi replied, ignoring Eren’s roll of eyes.

“Do you want me to finish the fucking story?”

“Yes please.”

“The captain tried to speak to me on several occasions and interrupted me twice when I was trying to lure some drunk sailor into the water. I was really fucking naïve back then and got agitated when it happened for the third time. He was a captain, but he was patrolling the pier like a guard. And then I spoke to him out of frustration… and I remember how he shone up, like he had accomplished something great.

Out of frustration and actual curiosity, I got to know the captain. He was proud, stubborn and persistent, yet kind and righteous. When his ship went back, I ended up going along. I left the group and travelled with him, got to learn him and in my adolescence, fell in love,” Levi said and Eren lifted his head at the words. It certainly wasn’t what he had expected him to say. Levi met his eyes and didn’t look away as he continued.

“I don’t know if he responded or if he was actually confused, unsure of what to do. I mean I was supposed to kill him, yet there I was, asking to touch him.”

Eren opened his mouth to ask a question but stopped, lying his head down on his chest again. The hand in his hair was still moving, gently and soothing.

“I was alone and frustrated, I didn’t know what was wrong with me and in all that confusion, I used him as my rock. I clung on and was so blinded by my want, that I didn’t realize until later what he felt for me was pity. I thought he loved me back, when he sneaked into the escape boat just to sit with me, talk to me and kiss me, it was pity.”

“Doesn’t sound like pity to me,” Eren mumbled but Levi didn’t reply, continuing.

“When we returned to the north, I was completely gone. I only saw him, I ignored my own and I waited for him to meet me every morning and night. I had fallen for the human, it was opposite of what it was supposed to be. I couldn’t walk on land, I couldn’t follow him up around the buildings or walk with him on the pier. But I was desperate, stupid and in love,” he shrugged.

“It was fall, I remember, because the leaves from the birch tree would cover the surface where I usually met him. I was swimming further down the pier than usual and I saw him, exiting a house. And on his arm was a child, a young girl in a white dress. She was laughing and he was smiling, a woman walking up to them, the captain shining up when he saw her. Just like he did when I spoke to him the first time.”

The hand in his hair stopped moving and Eren reached for it instead, intertwining their fingers.

“I drowned him that night.”

The words were cold and Eren kept his eyes on Levi’s fingers, waiting for him to continue.

“I was furious and I felt betrayed. I pulled him down to the bottom of the sea and held him there. He struggled and tried to fight me, shock and fear in his eyes. I had never seen him scared before that. He looked kind of funny…”

“The next morning I left his body on the pier, at the point the furthest out, for anyone to see. I’m not gonna tell you what I did to the body but I pity the sailor who found him. I went back and re-joined my group and I was never the same again. I didn’t trust anyone, I was paranoid and cold towards everyone and it took me years before I matured.”

“I’m sorry,” Eren replied, finally tilting his head up to look at Levi.

“I keep on wondering, even today, what he would have told me if I just confronted him instead. Maybe she was his sister or just a friend, maybe she was his lover but he would have left her for me. I will never know because I acted on instinct.”

Eren lifted the covers over their bodies, readjusting his legs around Levi’s tail. He felt like he should say something but couldn’t come up with anything, instead placing a kiss on his collar bone.

“You’re not scared?” Levi asked after a minute, the sound of an owl hooting outside.

“Well, I mean you kill your exes. I just have to make sure I never become one, right?” Eren would be lying if he said the story didn’t affect him. But he already knew Levi was dangerous, he knew he was the crazy one in this. He was most likely naïve and ‘completely gone’, just like Levi had been.

“You fucking brat.”

Eren chuckled, watching Levi smile. It looked much better on him, he decided.

“I know you think I’m young and naïve and unexperienced… but what does it matter. I’m here and here is where I want to be,” he said in a softer voice, Levi’s eyes scanning his face.

“Eren, you could kiss every human in town, hell kiss the mermaids and mermen you find; I still would never hurt you.”

“I know. I trust you,” Eren nodded confidently, “-and I know I shouldn’t,” he hurried to add as Levi looked like he was about to object.

“But here I am,” he whispered. Levi pulled him in tighter, his arms strong around him.

Eren closed his eyes but couldn’t fall asleep for another hour. Maybe it was because of the owl outside. Maybe it was because of Levi’s slow breathing or maybe because of the waves hitting the boat. Maybe it was because of the slight pain in his lower abdomen. But when the darkness finally engulfed him, his dreams were nothing but empty.


	18. Isabel and Farlan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tries to sneak this chapter in here, hoping no one notices it's been a couple _months._  
>  (/;◇;)/

Eren’s breath was coming out even and in time with his feet hitting the ground. The tall grass around him had been cut recently and he had a much easier time seeing where he was stepping as he jogged on the small trail leading towards the boat house.

April had just arrived with its bluebell and dogwood. The iris bushes outside the orphanage were starting to bloom as well but while they were beautiful and colorful, they didn’t smell of a thing.

He skipped over a familiar rock and passed through the few trees before reaching the door. With experienced fingers he fiddled with the handle and pushed the door open, closing it behind himself.

“Come on,” he absently whispered to himself, turning towards the water. It was as still as ever on a wind-quiet day and Eren bit his lip, walking around to pull on the rope which opened the doors. With a loud sigh he sat down on his usual barrel, shrugging out of his backpack to pull out his book. Leaning his head back against the wall, Eren let himself immerse into the world of Sean and Bean. It was quite a terrifying story but Eren found himself captivated, the book given to him from Armin a week ago. On his 20th birthday.

The words seemed to fade around him as his mind focused on picturing the descriptions the words gave him. He could absently feel it getting colder and looked up after an hour or so, wondering if he should perhaps shut the doors. With a sigh Eren stood on stiff legs, stretching his arms above his head, yawning. He pulled both doors closed and rubbed his eye afterwards, looking at his book on the barrel.

A light splash had him turning to the water in a second, eyes immediately searching for the merman. Eren only had a moment to react before someone flew out from the water, grabbing onto the edge of the planks and crawling on the floor.

Levi huffed, barely getting to sit up before Eren jumped on him, arms around his neck. They both fell to the floor, Eren’s clothes getting wet from Levi’s body.

“You promised me you wouldn’t wait for me this time,” Levi grumbled but slid his arms around Eren’s body nonetheless. He pulled a hand through Eren’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of his favorite human.

“I didn’t, I’ve just been here the last few days,” Eren spoke into Levi’s chest, his voice muffled. He climbed further up his body, lightly pressing his lips against the merman’s. Levi was warm under him like he always was, his fin slowly sliding around one of his legs. Within the minute the older rolled them around, sliding in between Eren’s legs and resting his weight on his elbows on either side of Eren’s head.

“I’m not doing this again,” Levi growled, referring to his absent during winter.

“You’re kind of early this year though, right? Definitely compared to last year, and the year before. It’s just the beginning of April still,” Eren said, his hands traveling over Levi’s shoulders and onto his back.

“I went back earlier than the others,” Levi explained and Eren nodded, his smile growing wider.

“I wish we could go to the boat but I have work today,” Eren said after another minute. His eyes were closed as Levi trailed his lips over the boy’s face, kissing his cheeks and forehead in an invisible pattern.

“Skip it,” Levi said and Eren let out a laugh.

“If I skip it I’ll lose it, idiot. What a responsible adult you are,” he snickered, opening one eye to watch Levi glare at him.

“Do you work night?” he asked instead, moving down to taste Eren’s neck.

“No, it’s a short shift. I’ll probably be done around sunset. Will you wait for me?” Eren asked, tilting his head to look at the other. Levi sat up, nodding before kissing Eren again, making up for the last 5 months.

***-***-***

In the morning they swam around to the forest’s edge where a set of rocks were sticking up in the water. They had mostly stayed away from the place because a pole with a rope around it was attached to the ground, figuring someone usually kept their boat attached there. But after years of never seeing anyone nor a boat there (nowhere else along the lake’s edge for that matter) they picked it as another spot to rest. Eren climbed up on the rocks, grabbing for his towel immediately and drying up.

It was way too cold to be swimming around for the human but he was the one who insisted, so he had to own up to his words. Levi watched him with a scowling look but Eren rolled his eyes in reply, shrugging into his dry clothes he had left there earlier. He draped the dry side of the towel around his shoulders, sitting on the stones. The merman climbed up onto the rocks as well, to Eren’s surprise, and sat up behind him. He moved his tail into Eren’s lap and around his body. It was really, really heavy but Eren could tell Levi wasn’t dropping the full weight onto him.

With a sigh Eren leaned back against him, his fingers tracing some of the scales in his lap. He had learned that just like some people’s hair got bleached in the summer, the scales collected color and light from the sun as well. After being so deep down for the entire winter Levi’s tail was much, much darker than it usually was. The golden specks and scales were still there but the turquoise was a much darker blue by now.

“Levi,” he heard someone call and looked up from his thought at a female surfacing in front of them, only her head above the water. Eren recognized her as Rico, a mermaid acting very serious most times. He had never spoken to her directly but she had turned up other times to talk to Levi.

“We’re going hunting,” she said, eying Eren a bit as she spoke. The disgust in her eyes was evident, even to the usually oblivious Eren.

He was surprised, however, when he feels lips against his neck, a shiver running down his spine. If it was because of the cold wind or Levi sensually kissing down his neck to his ear, he wasn’t sure.

“No, I’m good, Rico,” Levi replied, his words a bit dragged out. Eren watched the female snort before diving into the water again, a grey tail slapping the surface afterwards.

“What was that?” Eren asked, trying to turn around. He didn’t really mind the kissing but it wasn’t exactly polite towards her. He knew a lot of Levi’s people wasn’t very fond of him and their relationship, which was sort of understandable. It was a lion and lamb sort of combination and probably weird to them.

“She’s trying to court me,” he replied, biting down Eren’s nape so he wouldn’t try to turn his head.

“Ouch! W-what do you mean she’s courting you?!” He asks, slapping the tail in his lap. “What the hell, Levi?”

“I said she’s trying,” Levi growled, liking the spot he just bit. With a sight he fell back against a rock, Eren’s body following. “She’s not gonna get anywhere with it and it’s starting to get on my nerves,” he explained, the end of his tail slapping against Eren’s feet, only clad in his socks. His shoes were lying in the grass somewhere further up into the forest.

“You better tell me beforehand if you’re planning on leaving me,” Eren grumbled after another minute of silence. He crossed his arms, gazing out the lake. He could hear the sigh behind him, the sound enough for the human to smile. Leaning his head back Eren felt himself relax, Levi removing the towel and embracing him into his arms.

He slowly felt his eyelids starting to close, the sun now gone behind the grey clouds.

***-***-***

Eren sat positioned reverse on Levi’s stomach, holding onto the tail with his arms. He turned his head to look back at the other, watching the merman shake his head. They were in the boat house, the evening sun reaching inside to cast long shadows of them against the wall.

“If I drop my tail you’re falling down with it,” Levi explained, then letting it fall to the floor, Eren immediately releasing his arms so they wouldn’t get crushed underneath.

“I’m still thinking my idea is better,” Eren said, standing up and walking down Levi’s body to grab his tail, just above the fin at the thin part. He has to use two hands but he’s almost reaching around, looking down at the merman.

“Eren, I can both spin to the side and roll towards you,” Levi argued, surprising him by demonstrating the first one, turning onto the side and rolling. Eren released his grip once again, not wanting to twist his arms. Instead he stood back and grunted, crossing his arms.

Levi rolled his tail under him instead, imitating Eren by crossing his arms as well.

“Just don’t be a stupid little shit and you won’t get in a situation where you have to flee from one of us.”

Eren didn’t know what to reply with so he stayed silent, dropping his arms and turning to look out the lake instead. He picked up a faint sound of running before a knock was heard on the door, the thing being opened as Eren turned towards it.

Armin appeared in the doorway, looking a bit out of breath, but the blonde’s eyes snapped to Levi before Eren could talk to him.

“A big ship is just arriving in the port, they’ve caught two mermaids,” he explained, Eren now noticing the fear in his eyes. It was silent around them apart from Armin’s loud breathing and Eren snapped his head in Levi’s direction. His eyes were hard on Armin and the next second he turned to Eren, giving him a quick look before diving off the edge in hurry.

Eren hastily grabbed his backpack, Armin turning to hold the door open for him before they both darted towards the port. Eren was in the lead, Armin having both already ran the distance and being much less athletic than the other. It was a fairly close distance and Eren glanced at Armin behind him when they reached the docks, more people than usual gathered around.

The large ship was starting to dock when they jogged up to the crowd, Eren looking around and watching some sailors push down the ladder and fasten the ropes.

“Hiroki,” one sailor greeted a man, both slapping each other’s shoulders before they continued up towards town. Perhaps the captain or someone getting a lift from the boat, Eren thought.

There were goods and a couple cages of chickens being loaded onto the horse wagons; the usual from this particular ship, but many people were still standing around. Eren glanced at the water but couldn’t see anyone peeking up from the surface anywhere. There were too many people.

“Is it true?” Eren heard a young boy whisper to his father, the man shrugging in reply.

But then the world stilled around him, his heartbeat growing louder in his ears. Eren watched as two sailors carried someone, a girl with bright, red hair down onto land. And she certainly didn’t have a pair of legs below her waist.

“Yeah, yeah, look at her while you can,” one sailor laughed, carrying her around the neck, one hand gripping her hair. The man carrying her tail looked stronger and still seemed to have a bit of difficulty holding it, the red scales reflecting in the sun.

Eren felt air escape him in a gasp as he noticed her face, her eyes half lidded, mouth hanging open and skin completely white. Her hand was weakly trying to push onto the sailors hands yet he didn’t seem to even notice.

“Oh my god,” Eren heard Armin whisper. Another woman in front of them repeated something similar, her hand covering her mouth. Eren recognized Sasha and her father standing to the left of them and he could _feel_ her stare on him, like she was expecting Eren to do something.

“The tits are just like the real thing though, these demons are tricky,” the sailor snickered in front of the people, a hand taking a rough grip on the mermaid’s breast. Her hair fell into her face but Eren could see the blank look in her eyes.

“You are cursing this village!” a woman suddenly screamed, standing on the other side of the ring of people. Eren recognized her as one of the regulars at the tavern; a lady with grey hair usually tied in a bun or braid. She always seemed to have a crazy look in her eyes.

“Those are demons of the sea and you have killed them!” she yelled, her voice shaky with fear. None of the sailors seemed to pay her much attention, one simply glaring her way.

“Carry it up to Keith,” a bearded sailor barked at the two carrying the mermaid. They complied the order and Eren watched as they disappeared up the road. He could feel his legs shaking slightly, like he was supposed to run after them. A part of him wanted to, but he knew it would be useless.

The next second another mermaid was _thrown_ off the boat, a child screaming as it nearly hit her.

“Back off,” a sailor yelled in annoyance, throwing other things off the boat and onto the port. Another sailor picked up one of the sacks and threw it over his shoulder, reaching down to the mermaid’s body – no, merman – and grabbed the rope that had been tied around his tail. And then he started walking, the dead body scraping against the ground behind him as he continued up the gravel. Eren stared at him, gaping at the scene, and could only watch as the back-fin caught onto the ground, unfolding, the thin skin already hanging in pieces between the spikes. The rasping sound of the scales being pulled against the ground in the opposite direction made Eren feel sick.

“You will have the sea against you! This is angering the gods!” the old lady screamed once again, raising both her hands in the air.

“Shut up, lady,” the sailor spat. The merman’s face was completely battered, his blonde hair covered in dried blood, cuts everywhere on his chest and arms.

Eren snapped out of his gaze, turning to look at Armin beside him, the blond having turned his head away from the sight, a hand covering his mouth.

The sound of crows could be heard above them but Eren didn’t look up, just watched in shock as the rest of the sailors moved around. His eyes caught onto a little girl on the other side, her eyes large with fear.

People seemed to scatter after the merpeople were moved and the sailors continued to unload the ship, and Eren felt himself get tugged away from the scene by Armin’s hand.

They walked in silence towards the orphanage, Eren’s jaw still hanging partially open.

“I… I need to talk to Levi,” he mumbled after a while, his feet finally coming to a stop. Armin dropped his arm but turned to him, grabbing both of Eren’s shoulders instead.

“No, leave him alone. He’s not gonna be there anyway,” Armin said, Eren staring into his blue eyes.

“…what?”

“Eren, we both know what they’re gonna do. We know they can turn ships… the sailors leaving tomorrow are dead.”

And so when Armin instead took his hand in his, Eren followed him to their home in silence. Both crawled up to the attic, Marco already sitting on his bed, greeting them. He was working with needle and thread on one of Eren’s pair of pants, fixing a hole at the knee. Armin explained the situation to the older while Eren absently listened, climbing into his bed even though it was way too early. Yet he fell asleep after only a little while, as if his body was exhausted.

***-***-***

Armin kept Eren from running off at least until breakfast the next morning, explaining to him that no sailors would be awake yet anyway. He was right, Eren should be the one to know that considering he works at the tavern. The sailors were probably up drinking there until late.

But when they stepped onto the road leading down to the port they could already see what had happened, even from far away. When they got closer they could only gape at the sight, a couple of people having already crowded around the scene.

On two poles raised that night, hung the two bodies of the mermaid and merman by the tails. The rope fastened just below the fins had dug deep scars. While the mermaid’s arms were hanging lifeless a couple decimeters above the ground the male’s knuckles were just gracing the gravel beneath him. Both bodies looked stiff, beaten harshly and cut in many areas. Eren had to advert his eyes in utter disgust and anger, at the many cuts around the female’s upper torso, her chest beaten blue, blood still dripping down her neck and face. There was a small pool of red beneath her body, and if her arms hadn’t been hanging at her sides, blood trailing down both limbs, he couldn’t have told she was still bleeding. Because her hair was just as red as blood. Eren watched a drop fall from a strand of her hair, his fists clenching as his sides.

“Do you think these are the demons that drowned Ukio last month?” someone whispered in front of Eren and Armin.

“But I heard they caught these two in the north. Honestly, that they dared to carry these things alive on the ship for so long,” someone else replied.

“What about Greta? She didn’t shut up about the curse-talk yesterday,” another one, a man filled in.

“I can understand her. And if she’s right, the curse is now on our land,” she replied, Eren watching the woman gesture towards the hanging bodies.

“Eren,” Armin whispered beside him and Eren looked up, turning his head to where Armin was looking. A small group of the sailors came walking down between the buildings, only two carrying boxes in their arms.

Trost was a village producing many vegetables and a lot of wheat- and rye flour. There were two large tailor houses and it was another big export product, along with the fish and crab. The boxes he recognized from one of the farmers owning the biggest wheat fields.

Eren found himself glaring at the ground beneath him, his breathing a bit shaky, filled with anger. The sailors passed, not as loud or merry this morning.

There was a tense silence in the air when most sailors stepped onboard and the last couple of crates, sacks and barrels were loaded onto the ship. Two men from the village untied the ropes that held the ship to the docks and the sailors caught them, railing them up onto the boat.

“Farewell,” one sailor waved to a man on land and soon the ship was moving out towards the open sea.

Eren stared fixedly at the boat, his breaths coming out even but a bit harsh. He was almost starting to count the seconds that passed.

People around them were still on edge, also watching the ship slowly depart from the port. Eren could also tell that the sailors on board had been a bit concerned, maybe not of sea demons but by the actual merpeople, or sirens as they called them. He could see two holding pitch forks in tight grips, glancing over the edge of the ship. It made him wonder how they even caught the two merpeople in the first place.

It only took a little while, a couple of minutes, before a synchronized yell was heard from the boat. Eren watched with wide open eyes, his heart picking up speed in his chest, as the boat slightly tilted to the right. It was enough to make the sailors fall across the deck.

Yet no one fell in.

But Eren knew it was only the start.

“It’s the curse,” someone gasped among the crowd standing on Trost’s port.

“It’s because they angered the gods,” another one yelled, a mumble starting among the people. Armin was pushed into Eren as a woman cried in front of them, her eyes on the ship now turning towards the left instead.

“They’re dead,” Armin hissed beside him and Eren found himself closing his mouth, watching the large ship tilt to the other side again.

“Henry,” someone of the crowd screamed loudly, people now starting to panic at the sight in front of them. The sailors were yelling loudly from the boat, falling from side to side as the boat slowly tilted back and forth.

And then the first sailor fell into the water and immediately disappeared beneath the waves, not coming back up.

It was then that people started screaming louder; both from the ship and from the port Eren and Armin were standing on. Cries of anger turned into pure fright from the sailors, Eren flinching as a younger voice could be heard from the ship. Some ran forwards to the edge of the sea, some looking like they were about to jump in before they got pulled back.

“Don’t get into the water,” someone finally yelled and from what Eren could see no one was pulled down from the docks. Only one woman jumped down for a second only to quickly get pulled back up by two boys.

“They’re already gone. We can’t do anything. It’s the curse,” people were shouting around him, Eren watching as at least four sailors fell overboard when the ship tilted to the right again. They were pulled down instantly, defenseless in the water.

The following turn the entire ship toppled over, crates and other goods falling into water among the screaming sailors. The screams were something Eren had only heard once before; cries of absolute fear and terror.

Back in Shiganshina.

The waves were crashing loudly and the wood of the boat creaked, heard from even where Eren was standing. He gasped at the view, a lady beside him crying out behind her hand she held to her face. 

He turned his head when something caught his attention in the midst of the panic. Eren watched as the kind shoemaker in town climbed up one of the poles, cutting the rope loose of the mermaid, her body falling to the ground. He repeated the process with the male and then he and his son grabbed for the merman’s body.

Eren felt his feet move and he rushed to their side, his hands slipping beneath the stone-cold tail as he helped the two carry the body down to the water.

“Help your dad,” Eren said to the son, not wanting him to be the one entering the water first. Eren knew he had an advantage here and he hoped to Mother Nature that no hostile merperson was luring in the waters.

The tail was extremely heavy, as Eren had expected, but they managed to get him down, walking onto the rocks. The water reached Eren’s waist when they let the body go. Stumbling up the rocks again they turned to grab the mermaid and Eren hated how her tail was less cold than his had been. She must have been alive until sometime that night or morning. The thought of her being hung alive made him cry out at the cruelty, the shoemaker silent beside him.

As Eren pushed her body out towards the water he noticed the male’s body was gone. People behind him might’ve thought it sunk to the bottom but Eren briefly caught a pair of eyes in the water, a blond mermaid gently accepting the body of the red-haired mermaid. He let go and kept her gaze another second before he walked back up, getting reminded to wash his bloody hands in the water as he watched the shoemaker do. Armin reached for his arm and helped him up the last steps, his eyes full of sorrow.

Eren turned towards the sea again, watching the large ship lying flat on the surface. Most people around him had quieted, at least no one yelled anymore, and from the large ship out in the water it was absolutely, completely silent.

***-***-***

It took a while for the people of Trost to stomach what happened. Only a few had been there both that evening and the following morning. Not all had seen the bodies of the mermaid and merman and many still didn’t believe the stories, even with so many witnesses.

There was much talk of witch craft and still of curses, ladies where whispering about the demons and sea gods. Some even called them angels protecting the ocean.

The old fishermen were out in their skiffs only the next day, waving off the “ruckus about sirens” and explaining they had important fishing to do. And very well they returned in the evenings with much fish and no injuries or sightings of sirens.

Slowly Trost went back to normal, people were fishing again, going by boats and women cleaning the clothes in the water by the port.

“We are even again,” someone explained at the tavern, Eren absently nodding at her words. Since the building was the most common place to meet up, usually not for the poorest of people however, as you had to pay for food in order to sit inside. Eren learned many people’s versions of what happened. Most seemed to believe it was as Greta, the old woman said; that the curse was only cast over the sailors who did the evil. The bodies of the two ‘demons’ were returned to the sea and peace was once again.

He hadn’t seen Levi for two full days. Eren had been at the boat house but hadn’t yet called for Levi. He knew the other had to be busy, surely there was a lot happening among the merpeople as well. Eren hadn’t particularly heard of anyone drowning or falling out of boats in town since the incident so they were very likely keeping a low profile.

With a gulp he also realized they were probably stacked up on food as well.

Eren had known Levi for more than three years now. He had learned a lot during that time, both discovering for himself and from Levi telling him. He knew their group wasn’t a large one, only containing around fifteen up to thirty people, depending on seasons. During the winter the lake was frozen and no one stayed. Many of them traveled other seasons as well and left for other places and even other groups. What Eren gathered however, was that they always moved in groups, like a pack, and it was rarely another case. The two instances Eren knew of were when Levi stayed with the captain way back and the other when Ymir attacked him.

Hanji had explained to him that she was one of those exceptions, a mermaid traveling on her own. Hanji also eventually admitted to Eren she theorized Ymir was actually cast out from her previous group. There were rules to follow, a hierarchy Eren was still learning to understand, but he knew that the worst penalty was being rejected by the group. Merpeople rarely killed each other, from what Levi explained, only in serious fights and between two opposing groups did it ever happen.

***-***-***

When Eren was done with his shift he hurried down the now very familiar path, deciding for the boat instead of the boat house. During the summer they always met there for the evenings to sleep together. It was Eren’s second bed and he had spent the beginning of this summer cleaning it out again.

When he stepped down onto the shore he still had a fairly good view of the lake considering the sun hadn’t quite set yet. The waves were lapping against the rocks beneath Eren’s feet and he waited with his heart in his throat for the merman. He had learned from previous accidents to stay away from the water, even while most people of Levi’s group knew of him now. The instance with Ymir was still scarred in his mind, Eren absently scratching his head on the side she had slammed against the bottom of the lake.

The sound of water moving had him looking up, Levi’s head appearing above the surface.

“Oh,” Eren heard himself breathe out in relief, quickly kicking off his shoes and throwing off his clothes eagerly. He ran down into the water, slipping on the wet rocks underneath the water before Levi caught him in an embrace.

“Are you okay?” he hurried to ask, grabbing Levi’s head between his hands, leaning back to look at him. The merman looked tired, if anything.

“Yeah, I’m sorry if you were looking for me,” Levi replied, his tail pushing them further out into the water, hands pulling on Eren’s legs to wrap around his waist which the human eagerly did.

He didn’t care if it was unfitting to the topic they would have to talk about but Eren found himself eagerly but gently kissing the other, holding onto Levi’s cheeks with both hands. His lips were soft and receptive, a low sigh being released from beneath Levi’s lips.

“Of course I was, Levi. If you need more time I can sleep alone, it’s no problem-“ Eren started but the growl interrupted him.

“Not a chance,” Levi grunted and Eren couldn’t help but to kiss him again. The water felt cool around his body, the heat coming from Levi making the human lean in closer.

“How is… everyone?” Eren asked after another minute, absentmindedly rubbing his hands along Levi’s back and shoulders.

“Shaken. Angry,” Levi said, his eyes closing as Eren continued to massage his shoulders and neck, rubbing his thumbs against the skin. The human wanted to kiss him again, kiss the bad away, but instead waited for the other to continue.

“A group have already left to tell others,” Levi started with another sigh, “Petra have spoken to Nifa, she said your people are already forgetting.”

Nifa was a woman in town who Eren had learned was a friend of Petra. He wasn’t exactly sure what kind of friendship they had but when he once met her at the market she smiled knowingly at him.

“Not forgetting, but getting past it perhaps. There are still some people talking about it… but since not everyone saw it there are a lot of doubts. And you’re not attacking anyone, right?”

Levi nodded, finally yawning. Eren couldn’t help but to chuckle at him, nodding towards the boat without having to ask.

As the night rolled around Levi was the one who fell asleep first, his brows still stuck in a frown after he closed his eyes. Eren spent a couple minutes watching the other, feeling himself grow tired as time passed. He turned around after a while, grabbing Levi’s arm to place it around himself, tying their hands together. Levi tiredly grunted behind him but Eren smiled when his tail familiarly folded up around Eren’s legs. And in the silence he fell asleep; back pressed to the warmth and strength that was Levi.

***-***-***

Eren had expected Levi to leave early the next morning so when he was woken up by the other he immediately moved to sit up and crawl towards the door, still half asleep.

“Where are you going?” Levi asked and Eren turned around to look at him, slowly smacking his lips together, eyes still half closed.

“Sorry?” he asked, head still catching up with him. His hair was probably sticking everywhere.

Levi rolled his eyes and used his tail to push Eren back to him. The human blinked in his confusion but appreciated being allowed to lie down again. Levi threw the thin sheets over both their bodies again, Eren absently watching the sun still rising outside the small, round window.

“Don’t you have to go?” Eren yawned, worming down to tuck his head under Levi’s chin instead, blocking the light from his face as his eyes shut again.

“No,” was the simple reply and Eren simply shrugged at that. The arms around him always made him feel safe, the warmth a comfort from the chilly night. It might be summer but the weather in Trost was always unpredictable.

“Kiss me,” Eren mumbled, receiving a light chuckle from the other.

“Then get up here,” Levi replied, placing a kiss on his head as it was the only thing he could reach.

Eren groaned, even though he was the one who wanted the kiss, but crawled up to meet Levi’s lips. He traced his tongue against his lower lip, shivering when Levi’s tongue pressed against his. Eren playfully jumped onto Levi, the sheets falling around his body as he sat on the other’s waist, holding Levi’s hands down. He attacked his mouth once again, tilting his head to the side as his tongue moved against the other’s.

“Mhm,” Eren sighed against him, Levi easily battling his arms free under him and sliding his hands onto Eren’s thighs instead.

“I keep telling you, Levi. I already know you’re gonna kill me just to eat my thighs one day,” Eren teased, sliding his hands into the merman’s hair.

“And here I thought you had no idea,” Levi replied, grinning up at the other as Eren pushed his black strands back from his forehead.

“How many more days do I have… until you commit the horrible deed?” Eren asked, feigning worry while also meeting Levi’s lips mid-sentence.

“None,” the merman snapped his teeth closed just in front of Eren’s nose, who in turn rolled his eyes and dove down for more kisses. Both his hands traveled down to Levi’s jaw, holding it lightly in place while kissing him with less force but still as eagerly. Eren’s thumbs carefully felt the sharp edges of Levi’s gills on his neck, tracing them up and down in awe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of proof-reading this I realized I had written more than half in the wrong grammatical form.（╬ಠ益ಠ)  
>  ~~Don't even ask me how.~~  
>  So if you noticed any weird grammar I firstly apologize and secondly I'd be thankful if you let me know!
> 
> But apart from my failure at writing; Let's get this story finished! ヾ(｡･ω･)ｼ


	19. Weep and moan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter dedicated to life-of-a-nolifer (•ө•)♡  
> Because she sends me funny haikyuu pictures and talks about Kagehina with me. And I get to spam her about my sasunaru nostalgia lmao

Eren got sent home from the tavern a bit later than expected. Hugo, the chef, even apologized by giving him two almond buns before he ran off. So when Eren finally opened the old door Levi was already sat on the edge, staring out the lake.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Eren started, placing his hands on his knees as he took a couple breaths. He had ran a lot faster than he originally intended.

Neither Levi’s hair nor his skin looked wet which meant he had waited for quite a while; it made Eren feel bad. Of course he didn’t have set hours when he was supposed to get on and off work and sometimes unexpected ships or travelers arrived in town. And when those sailors, pirates or nomads ordered the entire menu Eren often had to stay longer.

“Don’t apologize, brat,” Levi simply mumbled and Eren couldn’t help but to grin in reply as he threw off his shoes and jacket. When he was unbuttoning his pants Levi turned around, watching him for a couple seconds before opening his mouth.

“I’ve promised Oluo to go hunting with him and two others, I will have to leave soon,” Levi said, still shamelessly watching Eren strip into his underwear.

“Oh,” Eren said, stopping with one pant leg off, meeting the other’s eyes. “Well… you’re not gonna be out the entire night, right? So I’ll just wait in the boat,” he continued, throwing his clothes in a pile and pushing it next to the barrel with his foot.

Eren sat down next to the other, reaching for his tail that hung over the edge of the planks. Levi lifted it up to curl it around him while giving his neck two kisses.

It had become one of Eren’s favorite things to do; to trace the scales on Levi’s tail and map the trails and spots of gold.

The moonlight was strong that evening, it had to be full moon outside or close to it, Eren figured. The boat doors were both open and the reflection of the moon cast a light of silver over the moving water. It looked cold but Eren knew it wasn’t. So after a shoulder bump against Levi’s he then jumped in, holding his nose shut with two fingers.

It wasn’t very deep under the boat house and as Eren plunged through the surface one of his feet touched the seaweed that grew on the bottom. He kicked his way up and took a deep breath when he reached air again, drying the water from his eyes and looking up at Levi on the floor. The merman slipped from the edge with his head first, diving underneath Eren and swimming along the sea floor.

When the human felt someone pinch his toes he took another deep breath and dove underneath, grabbing onto Levi’s hands with a smile. His cheeks were full of air and when Levi put on a smirk he knew what was about to come. His hands traveled up to Eren’s sides and he pressed in with his fingers, the human releasing all air as laughter erupted. Levi gave him a ride up to the surface and received a childish pout from Eren.

The merman had grown a fascination with how humans were ticklish, Eren in particular. Apparently merpeople weren't, not to the extent of laughter at least, and Levi was very interested when he found out he could make Eren smile whenever he wanted.

“Stop it, I want to hold my breath longer,” Eren said, trying to kick Levi’s tail with no result. He took another deep breath and swam down into the dark water. It was almost impossible to see with the moon light as the only source of light, but Eren swam along the rocks on the bottom, glancing at the old planks of a sunken boat. Moss was growing over the entire wrack and Eren figured it must have been there for a long time.

Levi appeared in his vision of sight, holding out his arms as an invitation for Eren. He could also see how Levi’s cheeks were holding in air as well and swam up to him. With hands on Levi’s jaws Eren placed his lips against his and felt the pass of air between their lips. Eren gave him a smile, continuing to swim along the bottom with Levi right behind.

When they reached the shore with the abandoned boat Eren was sitting on Levi’s hips, feeling the muscles under him as the tail slowly took them closer to land. The merman’s lips was on his, Eren licking his way into Levi’s mouth. He felt hands travel into his messy, brown hair and got tugged backwards, breaking the kiss.

“We’ve got company,” Levi whispered with an unimpressed look, glancing to their right. Frankly, Eren didn’t care and tried diving in for another smooch only to get tugged back again, a smug smile falling onto Levi’s face instead.

“Are you coming?” a voice appeared to their right and Eren glanced at the merman appearing above the surface, eyes meeting with the uninterested look Oluo usually wore. Eren slid his arms down around Levi’s torso, resting his head against him and put on a childish pout again.

He watched as Petra also peeked up from the water, giving him a small smile.

“Hello, Eren,” she greeted and he nodded. He wanted to be polite and greet her back but he was busy sulking over the fact that they were taking Levi away from him.

“I need to eat, Eren,” Levi said, slowly moving his tail downwards into the water so that they were both facing upwards. Yet Eren didn’t let go of Levi, now circling his legs around his tail.

“You can eat tomorrow,” Eren grumped and hear a laugh to his right, probably Eld having appeared too.

“Eren-“ Levi started but was interrupted as someone swam straight into them under the water, grabbing a hold of Eren’s torso.

“Eren, I need your help with something,” Hanji’s voice erupted behind him and Eren turned around to give her a quick glare for scaring him. Levi took his chance and pulled Eren’s limbs off him, giving his neck a kiss.

“Wait for me,” he said, then glanced at Hanji behind Eren, “and don’t let her dissect you.”

And then he disappeared with the other three, Eren staring down into the water after them.

“What is it?” he then asked, turning to Hanji who moved to swim on her side, nodding out towards the sea. Eren wasn’t feeling tired yet so he followed her, and even to Levi’s dislike, Eren actually liked hanging around with Hanji. She could be annoying at times, mostly when she interrupted Levi and Eren, and had been chased off by Levi numerous of times. But the praise and interest she showed about human life always humored Eren. And she was kind, under all that crazy.

“You’ll see,” she smiled. “How’s Armin and Mikasa?”

“They’re good. Armin is still studying but will finally become an apprentice under Grisha, hopefully this fall,” Eren replied. “Mikasa is still going on about the guards.”

They reached a set of rocks Eren had been at before a couple times, but it was a bit too far out the lake for daytime. Eren could see a couple of the small jetties that belong to the houses along the edge of the lake, one of them the Springer’s house.

Hanji crawled up on one of the rocks and patted the one behind her, Eren climbing up to sit on it. He expected her to turn around and face him but instead she leans back against his knees. Eren had gotten used to the nakedness sometimes last year; while the females were the ones who _used_ to make him blush he had then learned about the anatomy of merpeople from Hanji. He knew how Levi worked, he could figure that one out for himself as he learned how to pleasure the other. But when Hanji started asking him about how sex between humans worked he also got a lecture about female merpeople as well. Whether he wanted to listen or not was apparently irrelevant.

“You can braid my hair,” Hanji simply said and Eren stared at the long, wet curls that fell over her shoulders. He had gotten this request one time before and because Eren just knew how to do simple braids his mother had taught him to do, he was sure Hanji wouldn’t ask him again. But here he was.

It was easier said than done with Hanji’s wet, quite tangled hair however. Eren just let out a deep sight before collecting her hair into his hands.

“What do I get in return?” Eren asked, starting to part her hair into three sections. He stared at them, figuring he could make three braids and then braid those three into one? Would that look weird? He shrugged and went for it anyway, not bothering to be gentle, tugging strands apart. Hanji didn’t seem to care nonetheless.

“Hmm, I can tell you things about Levi?” Hanji offered and Eren rolled his eyes.

“I want _Levi_ to tell me those,” he replied, trying to put on a mature front. Of course he was curious, especially as Levi was twice his age and had been quite “rebellious” at young, as Hanji had once mentioned.

“Okay, how about… I tell you a way to sway him? You will have him at your knees, drooling,” Hanji said so dramatically Eren couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Sure, Hanji.”

She didn’t reply for a while, staring out the sea in silence as Eren worked on her hair. He glanced at her but waited patiently for her to speak. A gust of wind passed them and Eren shivered in his naked skin. An eerie feeling suddenly hit him and he slowed his hands until they came to a stop, a frown on his face. He was just about to speak when Hanji did, her voice quieter than before.

“Do you know what a sea shanty is?” she asked, still not turning around to look at him.

“It’s what the sailors and pirates sing,” Eren simply replied. He had heard many different versions in his days at the tavern, some more vulgar than others. The majority involved beautiful women but others contained themes of happiness, money or alcohol.

“It’s also what we sing for the sailors,” she explained, “like a different version of a reply. We have many different songs that answer to the sailors songs. It’s our luring.”

Eren’s hands didn’t still this time but continued to tie her hair in his hands. But he couldn’t hide the shiver that ran down his spine.

“I can teach you one,” she said, finally turning to smile at him. Eren looked at her, once again taking in how utterly beautiful she was. How beautiful they all were, and what their goal ultimately was.

Levi hadn’t tried to hypnotize Eren since one of the first times they met, and even as the human had asked about it more than once after that, Levi had waved it off. Eren had found the merman humming certain songs at times, the human usually getting caught up in the tune and feeling his body turn close to numb. It was a great way to get him sleepy too. But then he would look at Levi and their eyes would meet, and the fear that filled the silver in Levi’s eyes would scare even Eren. And they wouldn’t talk about it.

“I… really can’t sing,” Eren said, unexpectedly whispering the words, as to not disturb the silence around them. The waves were gently licking the rocks they sat on but the loudest noise came from the wind in the high trees behind them.

“It’s easy, just sing after me,” she uttered, turning back to look out at the sea, Eren absently resuming his braiding.

“Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray,” Hanji started, her voice dragging out the words as they echoed around them.

“Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray,” Eren repeated, feeling stupid already as he basically spoke the words instead of singing them. The giggle he heard from Hanji was probably fairly earned then.

“See? I just sound stupid,” Eren pouted, finished with one of the three braids and throwing it over her shoulder.

“You didn’t even try to sing, Eren,” she said, knocking her head back against his hands. He tugged on her hair in reply.

“One more time. Upon one summer's morning.”

“I carelessly did stray,” Eren continued, trying to pull on the words just a little bit more. He knew had he been five years younger his voice would have been breaking all over the place.

“Down by the walls of Yalkell, where I met a sailor gay,” she sung and he repeated. After another sentence Eren realized he had to lower his voice and sung an octave lower than hers instead. It was a much less strain on his voice and even though he was still convinced he sounded like a total dumbnut, Hanji praised him.

It was weird, repeating every sentence after her and then singing at the same time. He knew singing and chanting was a much bigger thing for merpeople than it was for humans, at least for him. For them it was a way to get food even, just like an anglerfish would wave its light in the dark for small, foolish fishes. But as Hanji explained it was also culture and a way to express love or sadness. This particular song was a pretty common one sung during luring, mostly by a single female mermaid.

And when Hanji encouraged Eren to sing a couple of the lines for himself he found himself enjoying the tune more. It was captivating, to say the least, but also told a tale of a woman waiting for her sailor to come home.

He was finished with Hanji’s hair and she had turned around to sit facing him instead. When her eyes trailed over by his shoulder Eren stopped mid-word and turned his head, caught off guard by the eyes watching him. He sort of expected it to be Levi who sneaked up on them but was surprised when he didn’t recognize even one of the heads that just peeked above the water. Then he realized they were really small, and their eyes big.

Children.

“It’s the human,” one of them whispered, having raised enough to the surface to speak.

“Why is he singing?” another one, a girl, asked. Eren turned his body slightly and in the blink of a second they disappeared, only ringlets left on the surface. Eren’s eyebrows raised as he turned to look at Hanji who rolled her eyes.

Hanji taught him another verse of the song and by then Eren found himself mixing certain parts up.

“Sing it to him when you’re both alone; he won’t interrupt you so don’t hesitate or anything,” Hanji told him, using her fin to scoop up water onto her tail. Eren nodded, tapping his feet against the stone under him.

“Was it ‘All for my jolly sailor bold, until he sails home’ or ‘until he returns” Eren asked.

“First one,” Hanji quickly replied before she was suddenly diving into the water. She came up a couple seconds later, giving Eren a quick smile.

“Levi’s on his way and he’s probably going to be mad I kept you up this late, so I’m fleeing,” Hanji earnestly replied and Eren couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“Bye,” he simply replied, lazily waving as she swam off. Only a minute later Levi appeared, narrowing his eyes at Eren.

“Why are you looking at me?” Eren asked, defensive.

Levi didn’t reply, but glanced around them instead, seemingly suspicious.

“What did she do to you?” he asked, watching Eren get to his feet. The human smugly smiled before pushing himself off the stone in a jump. He could’ve at least _tried_ to dive gracefully but knew it would still look clumsy to the other. When he surfaced he heard the sound of birds screeching and flying, realizing the sound of him jumping in must have woken them up.

“Oops,” he said, no regret in his voice at all.

“What did you do?” Levi continued and Eren ignored him, turning in the direction the boat was. He only got a couple meters forwards of swimming before Levi grabbed his feet, pulling him backwards. Eren got water in his throat and started coughing, slapping at Levi’s hands and turning to stare at him.

“Tell me,” Levi pressed and Eren gave him a scowl.

“Calm down, she just asked me about human stuff… and made me braid her hair again. No need to try to drown me,” Eren grumbled, crossing his arms in the water.

“Don’t trust her, Eren,” Levi warned and Eren rolled his eyes.

“You’re the one who told me I _could_ trust her.”

“No, I said _I_ trust her. It doesn’t mean you should.”

“Stop being such a baby, get me to the boat now,” Eren demanded, swimming around Levi to climb onto his back, making sure his back fin was down at first. He had already cut himself on the spikes enough.

When Levi didn’t move Eren moaned in complaint, wrapping his legs around his tail and giving it two kicks with his heels. Just like he would when riding a horse.

Levi didn’t seem to appreciate that at all and dove underneath the water instead, Eren having reflexes quick enough to take a deep breath, shutting his eyes closed as he followed down under the water. He had to tighten his legs around Levi’s waist, his arms wrapped around Levi’s shoulders.

The water was moving past them fast and Eren could feel his air supply start to run out after a while, the familiar panic starting to arise. He tried to pinch Levi’s skin where he reached but didn’t get a reply, trying another time. Another couple seconds lasted and Eren had to let go, swimming in blindness up to the surface. He gasped for air as he surfaced, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He could see the shore and boat in front of him, turning to see the distance they had traveled.

Eren felt Levi push his legs apart and swim between them and then around his torso. It meant he was feeling playful and Eren looked down in the water just below him, Levi’s face underneath, watching him. The human moved his hands to hold Levi’s cheeks, leaning down under the surface to press his lips against his. With Levi’s tail still moving around his waist and legs, kind of like a snake, he pushed his tongue against Levi’s, pulling him up to the surface. The merman let out the familiar hitch of breath he always did when he went between breathing air and using his gills underwater.

The chuckle started low in Eren’s throat as he realized he could recognize the taste on Levi’s tongue. It soon became too much for him and he leaned back, Levi looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You taste like salmon,” Eren laughed and Levi ignored the other’s laughter, attaching his lips to his neck instead. He tasted along Eren’s jaw and up to his lips again, distracting the other.

The human teasingly bit Levi’s lip, moving his hips forwards against the tail sliding between his legs. Levi opened his eyes to give him a look and Eren did it once more, letting out a shaky breath.

“Take me to the boat? Please,” he begged, trying a new tactic instead. And it only took a second before Levi pulled on Eren’s hips, swimming on his back with the human sitting on his waist.

They reached the boat while still having their lips locked, Eren ignoring the other’s tries at pulling away. Levi then bit his tongue a bit harsher, Eren exclaiming a whining noise. But he looked up from the trance, staring at the shore in front of him. He eagerly walked onto the shore and climbed up onto the boat, opening the door to the small cabin. Shrugging out of his boxers, Eren squeezed the water out of them and hung the pair on the railing. He had left a towel inside and dried off his feet, throwing it at Levi’s face when the merman entered.

He gave him a scowl and threw it straight back at Eren.

The human didn’t even let Levi get fully through the door before he was on him, Levi letting out a low grumbling sound but meeting his lips nonetheless. After another couple seconds he pushed Eren back though, climbing inside and shutting the door behind him.

With a smirk Eren crawled backwards on the mattress, finally hitting the wall and baring his throat as Levi closed in on him. He was still a bit awkward about being naked around him, but only a bit. The fact that he was already quite hard since he got up on land didn’t make it any better though. Or maybe it actually did.

Levi took a strong grip on Eren’s hips and pulled him down roughly to lie on his back on the mattress, hovering over him. His tail familiarly fit between Eren’s legs and the human let out a gasp as he pressed down against him. The scales weren’t especially comfortable against Eren’s cock and Levi usually leaned down a bit further so he could rub the skin just below his stomach against Eren’s member.

Instead he moved around, turning Eren onto his side and lining up behind him, nipping on the skin of his neck.

The younger wasn’t usually a fan of being manhandled but when it came to Levi’s strength he often didn’t have much of a choice. Unless he had a chance to run off he was always doomed to fail when it came to the power struggles.

Eren was aware Levi had a thing for his thighs but he also noticed his ass got a lot of attention lately, the merman getting a tight grip on both cheeks, leaning over him. Eren was pressed against the mattress, his head turning to the side as Levi grinded down against him, letting out a low growling sound against his neck. It was a sound of possession, Hanji had told Eren when he innocently asked her why Levi sometimes growled at him. The human had been blushing for 10 minutes straight afterwards.

Eren’s length rubbed against the mattress as Levi rocked against him, his tail curling down between his legs and then under Eren’s body, holding him up instead. The merman slid his hand down to start pumping Eren’s member while he grinded down against his ass. Eren could feel when something slid between his cheeks, the growling becoming louder.

“Harder,” Eren demanded, feeling Levi’s grip on his cock tighten. The human turned his face, forehead against the mattress as he breathed out louder, pleasure overtaking him. With a minute passing of Eren drooling into the mattress he started to feel the strain of the position. The discomfort took over the desire and Eren dropped his legs, trying to signal to Levi. He heard a grunt behind him but Levi rolled off, looking expectantly at Eren.

“I wish we could just be the same species,” Eren mumbled, originally not meant to be aloud but ignored it as he threw a leg over Levi’s lower half. Crawling up to sit just in front of his cock he grabbed both with two hands, setting up a rhythm. He closed his eyes and leaned his head backwards, waiting for Levi’s tail to wrap around him like it always did when he was on top like this.

Eren knew Levi craved a lot more pressure than he did and eventually grabbed each dick in each hand. And soon he felt Levi’s tail wrap around his hips in a tight hold, pushing him forwards in even thrusts.

“I love you. I love you so much,” Eren found himself panting, staring down at Levi as he moved back and forth on him, pressing their cocks together again. It felt so good, so, so good. Levi pushed Eren down with his tail and wrapped him into his arms, attacking his lips. The slight taste of salmon was completely forgotten and Eren pushed his tongue inside Levi’s mouth, getting stopped halfway as Levi fought him. Eren was a whimpering mess as Levi rocked their hips faster, sucking playfully on Eren’s tongue.

A sudden growl was all he got before Levi spun them around in just a second, pushing Eren down onto the floor as he leaned above and between his legs. He took a tight grip over Eren’s hands, helping him push both over the edge.

The human could feel both emptying themselves over his stomach and chest, his shaking legs pushing them off the mattress while Levi pressed them down. He was left breathless as he felt Levi continue moving his hands, his mind caught in the absolute bliss.

“Holy fuck,” Eren whimpered as he started regaining consciousness, a light tingle traveling over his skin. He was exhausted, too tired to move his head as he stared straight into the planks of the wall in front of him. The smell of the wood, the fabric, the sweat and sex in the air made him print the moment into his memory. Promising himself to remember this for the rest of his life.

When Levi moved he finally felt the pain in his skin between his neck and shoulder, a tongue moving to lap over the bite marks.

“I apologize,” Levi whispered just as Eren realized he was bleeding from the bite, a light laughter escaping his lips.

“I’m yours, Levi,” Eren said, almost half a sob. He didn’t know what exactly made him have such a realization now but he suddenly felt like all worries and wonders disappeared. “I’m so fucking yours. I don’t care about anything else anymore.”

“Eren,” Levi whispered below him but the younger still couldn’t turn his head. He kept his eyes on the wall, holding onto his sanity.

“I’ve been so unsure about it all lately, about everything. Armin is gonna become a doctor, Marco is working at the orphanage and Mikasa is going to join the royal guards. And I’m left here, doing nothing,” Eren prattled on, eventually throwing an arm over his eyes. “Just drown me.”

Levi didn’t reply and Eren couldn’t let himself look at him. A thought hit him and he released a pathetic chuckle.

“You’ve already drowned me,” he uttered, his voice filled with realization.

“What’s with you?” Levi asked and climbed up his body, finally ripping his arm away and meeting his eyes.

“I don’t know,” Eren admitted, releasing a half-laugh, half-cry.

It was warm inside the cabin and the air felt almost humid around them. Eren let Levi grab his arms and throw them over his shoulders, Levi embracing him. His body was lying beside him and Eren found himself thinking that from his view and touch, Levi could be human to him. The thought bothered him a lot more than he expected, almost making him feel sick, immediately sliding his leg next to Levi’s tail again.

“But you’re right,” Levi said after a while, gently kissing both of Eren’s cheeks but wearing a certain look in his eyes.

“You’re mine, Eren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the next chapter, get ready for *japanese game-show host dramatic voice* **_homosexuals singing._ **


	20. The sound of quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (ﾉ･ｪ･)ﾉ

His feet were straining and Eren groaned, wiggling his toes in his shoes. He had been up early to work at the tavern, the old men already sitting by the tables, demanding coffee and almond buns. Because the tavern had available rooms to stay over upstairs the main doors had to be kept open, the old men usually sneaking inside and occupying the board games, grunting about breakfast.

Eren wanted to tell them to just go home and make some themselves if they wanted it 5 in the morning. But he shut up and unlocked the door to the kitchen, tiredly waving as a man yelled “Finally you’re here!”.

Eren still felt a little uncomfortable baking the almond buns but started the old oven nonetheless, throwing in a couple of logs. When the tea and coffee was done he stepped up to the bar, watching the men walk up to him, each throwing a brass coin on the wooden surface. Eren had learned from working here so long though, and slammed his palm against the wood, pointing at one of the men.

“Roy, it’s still 10 yen. Not five.”

“Well give me a half cup then, son,” Roy grunted, taking an empty cup, standing in line behind two men serving themselves coffee.

“10 or nothing,” Eren said, not backing down. When Roy seemed to ignore him Eren grabbed the teapot, holding it out of range for the short man before it was his turn. He immediately started cursing but still dug through his pocket, the sound of coins rattling against each other, and handed Eren another five.

The teen nodded and placed the pot on the table again, collecting the rest of the money, absently counting it and the men in the room. It matched.

“We need some buns to this tea!” Roy yelled while sitting down next to Riku and Elliot, already on their second round of chess.

Eren ignored him and started preparing other things in the kitchen while the buns were baking in the oven. He glanced up at the old men through the bar every now and then, making sure they paid for their re-fills.

When Jean arrived around lunch time Eren immediately threw work at him, a group of soldiers having arrived by horse from the west. As usual the armored men wanted something fancier than ‘fish of the day’. And Eren had to hurry throwing the elk pieces onto the stove, the seasoning’s scent spreading around the room, making his mouth water. Eren took another bite of the cabbage while he went back to peeling the potatoes. He literally threw the knife at Jean when he entered, telling him to peel the rest of the potatoes.

A couple minutes into the cooking two young girls peeked over the bar and Eren only noticed them after a second look, hurrying over to them while still peeling a carrot in his hands, the access falling onto the floor.

“How can I help you two?”

“Could we get two apple lollipops, please,” the slightly taller girl said, the other staring at Eren in a way children usually did. Eren wondered if these were Michael’s daughters, pretty sure he had seen them with him once.

“Just a second, girls,” Eren replied, jogging back to the kitchen to check if he had the supplies.

“Ignore them, we have to get the elk out,” Jean hissed, standing by the stove, whisking the mashed potatoes. Hugo, the chef, was currently in Ragako, staying over at his parents. Eren had never missed the cook as much as now. He watched Jean pour some more whisky into the pot of mashed potatoes, tasting it and making a grimace, putting it to the side to start preparing the plates. Eren simply chuckled but grabbed two apples, sticking a twig in both, covering the fruit first in lemon juice and then in pure sugar. He jogged back to the bar and gave the girls the treat, accepting the money and a small tip as well. Yes, definitely had to be Michael’s girls.

“Did you use lemons?” Jean asked, raising an eyebrow. Eren grinned and winked at him.

“Last time she asked for lemon instead of the orange, and we always have the lemon prepared,” Eren replied, going back to the elk on the stove. It hadn’t been burned that bad, to his relief.

“That’s way fucking easier, you could’ve told me,” Jean groaned, “I went through the entire food closet before I found the damn oranges. And they were even molding a bit!”

“Whatever, start handing me the plates,” Eren said, rubbing his forehead.

They successfully got all 9 plates out and the soldiers seemed happy with the result; yet another big tip being left to a grinning Eren and Jean.

“How’s Levi?” Jean asked for the first time since what happened last week. Eren had expected the question earlier and had completely forgot about it, staring at Jean for a second.

“Uh… he’s not talking about it much. But I’m pretty sure he knew them, Hanji seemed to indicate so at least,” Eren replied, glancing towards the door, watching as another old man entered to sit down by the ‘poker table’.

“You know, we’re really lucky he’s the one we stumbled upon that first night. Like I know you’ve said you met him before, but he still spared you. When we tried to catch that girl.”

“Petra,” Eren absently corrected, passing Jean the now empty jug of tea.

“Yeah. I knew how dangerous they were, but watching the ship lie there on the side… and no pirates in sight. It was truly scary,” Jean continued, Eren nodding. He knew the other hadn’t been there in time to see the ship actually get turned over and neither had he caught an eye on the battered bodies of the merman and mermaid before they were lowered from the stakes.

Jean didn’t continue and Eren simply gave him a weak smile, sitting down by one of the tables to eat his own lunch. After a couple of minutes the blonde joined him, a piece of pie on his plate.

“Mom made you guys two pies, carrot and something else, I don’t remember. I decided I could get a piece for carrying them over this morning,” Jean shrugged and Eren chuckled, nodding.

“Promise to tell her thanks. Like, actually do it,” Eren said, poking him with his fork. Jean moved his arm away from the assault but nodded.

***-***-***

When July came over midnight Eren was lying flat on the surface, floating in the water just outside the boat house. His eyes were shut, breathing calm and even as he focused on staying above the surface.

With a sigh Eren let his legs drop down, his eyes scanning the water under him. He had left the underwater light on for once and when he looked down beneath he couldn’t see Levi at first. With a closer inspection he realized the large black shape was the merman’s tail, his body curcled into a circle.

Eren took a deep breath and dove underneath, pushing himself towards the resting merman. He wasn’t surprised when Levi opened his eyes before he reached him, giving him a small smile as some air escaped his lips. Eren continued towards the bottom of the boat house, the coral and plants completely visible in the light from the lamp.

There were many pieces of wood and crooked nails, probably having fallen down as whoever worked on their boat inside. Eren put his feet on the sea floor and pushed himself up to the surface again, inhaling for a couple seconds before diving deep again.

A particular underwater plant always caught his eye, orange flowers now sprouting from it during spring and summer.

Eren suddenly got the feeling someone was watching him and turned around only to see Levi’s back turned to him. And in front of Levi were two mermen, both having their eyes on Eren. To him they looked curious more than anything.

But when Levi’s back-fin slowly unfolded to its full size, spikes looking as sharp as needles, Eren got a feeling something was wrong. Then he realized he recognized both mermen. Reiner and Bertholdt.

Levi’s tail spun to his left, the end fin facing the other two, and then his body stilled. Eren had been told that was a sign of aggression, and just like certain animals made themselves as big as possible when frightened merpeople seemed to do the same thing. Hell, humans did as well.

But maybe it was only annoyance coming from Levi, because the brown haired of the two, Bertholdt, looked apologetic as he glanced at Levi, even bowing his head slightly. Eren found himself captivated watching them, fully visible in the light from the lamp.

Reiner took another look at Eren, his face blank, before he gave Levi a quick nod, turning towards the darkness behind him. Bertholdt followed, his wide eyes snapping to Eren as the human moved in his spot. The look on his eyes made Eren frown in return. He looked like Sasha did when someone put food in front of her.

Air was running out but Eren waited until he watched Bertholdt swim away before surfacing. When he dove down again Levi was back to carelessly picking at his fin like he had a tendency to do. Eren watched a small shoal of fish swim around him and into the seaweed. With a couple pushes he was down to Levi’s spot, sliding his arms a bit clumsily around the other’s neck.

Wearing a smug smile Eren grabbed Levi’s tail, tugging him backwards and earning an annoyed stare from the other. Eren turned to swim as fast as he could backwards but Levi was on him with only a single whip of his tail, grabbing onto his sides.

Ah fuck.

Eren released air, bubbles escaping from him as Levi tickled him, the human kicking to get up to the surface. Together they moved up, Eren coughing and gasping for air, punching Levi’s shoulders.

“You have to stop doing that,” he groaned, coughing into his fist. Levi leaned forwards and kissed his temple, whispering a “Sorry.”

Eren figured the apology was enough and snaked his arms around the other, letting his legs rest.

“What did those two want?” he asked, hanging onto Levi as he started pushing them out towards the lake.

“They were probably attracted by the light, played it off as that they wanted to greet me.”

“Greet you?”

“They’ve been gone for a while. We have suspicion to believe they joined Ymir for a while, which doesn’t surprise me,” Levi shrugged, looking a little annoyed.

“Do you think they would’ve killed me? If you hadn’t been there?”

“No,” Levi replied without a second thought. “It would be a death wish.”

“But…” he added, voice a bit deeper, “ _you_ also know not to be in the water alone, so the situation would never have to arise.”

Eren hummed a reply, resting his head onto Levi’s shoulder.

***-***-***

Eren was sat on the set of rocks just a little bit further out the lake than usual. The place was hidden from Trost’s sea front and the woods behind him belonged to Ragako. He glanced down at Levi, the merman lying with his upper body on the same stone Eren had his feet on, his tail gently moving in the water. With his arms crossed, Levi resting his head against the rock behind him, he was staring out towards the lake, out the horizon, and Eren couldn’t help but to find himself wondering what Levi was thinking about. His shoulders were wet rom the water and the moon light glistened in the drops of water left running down his body.

According to the calendar it would be full moon tomorrow and Eren was again reminded of the summer festival that happened tomorrow. He had attended the one last year but it wasn’t too impressive. At least not as big as the spring festival. And Eren would just rather spend time with Levi.

Eren sighed and rubbed his hands together.

“What are you thinking about?” he finally asked, voice close to a whisper. Levi turned his head to look at Eren, his eyes appearing sort of daunting in the light of the night.

“Everything,” was the simple response.

Eren slowly nodded at the words, looking out to where Levi was staring. Still just the horizon in view.

“I…” Eren started before his words caught in his throat, his voice quieting. He stared at Levi, his heart starting to speed up. The merman looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Collecting himself, Eren carefully slipped down from his rock to sit on the one Levi was leaning onto, holding his knees against his chest.

“I’m…” he tried again but couldn’t come up with what to say. Why didn’t he think this through before just opening his mouth. “Just don’t laugh!” he said instead, almost a defensive yell.

“What?” Levi asked, looking more than confused.

“…don’t laugh,” Eren mumbled, sort of to himself. He closed his eyes and tried to push away all thoughts of how his face was probably beet red by now. After another breath he opened his eyes and glanced embarrassedly at Levi, leaning his chin onto his knees.

“Up… upon one summer’s morning, I carelessly did stray,” Eren started, wanting to curse aloud at how shaky his voice was. Why was he doing this again? Levi had stayed with him this far, was this really necessary? To lose all dignity for this?

What if Levi wrinkled his nose at Eren’s singing and disappeared under the water, never coming up.

“D-down by the Walls of Yalkell, where I met a sailor gay. Conversing with a young lass, who seem to be in pain. Saying, William, when you go, I fear you’ll never return again,” he continued, keeping his voice much quieter than when he was repeating the lines after Hanji. This was a lot more intimate, even more than he had imagined. Certain words even came out as whispers because Eren wasn’t brave enough to risk making a complete fool out of himself in front of Levi.

“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold,” Eren sang, eyes still not meeting Levi’s. He could see in the corner of his eyes that he had his attention, but Eren choose to focus on his toes, on the water in front of them instead.

Hanji had been right about Levi not interrupting him, but it wasn’t like Levi was a person with tendencies to do that in the first place. Or rather; he wasn’t a talkative person.

“His hair it hangs in ringlets, his eyes as black as coal. May happiness attend him wherever he may go. From Tower Hill to Stohess, I'll wander, weep and moan. All for my jolly sailor bold, until he sails home…” Eren paused in his singing, a shiver running up his arms.

“A f-fig for his riches, his merchandize, and gold. True love-“ Eren’s voice hitched, his eyes widening as his face was already on fire. He could barely hear his own voice any more, the thumping in his ears so loud. After a shaky breath he tried again;

“True love is g-grafted my heart; give me my sailor bold. Should he return in poverty, from over the ocean far, to my tender bosom, I'll press my jolly tar.”

“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold…”,

Shit.

Because of his screw up earlier Eren started onto the wrong verse, repeating a previous one. He was just waiting for Levi to fall into laughter at any second by now.

“…There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold.”

In his curiosity he glanced at the other. And to his surprise, Levi looked… sort of like he always did. He was wearing his typical blank face, attention on Eren. When the human adverted his eyes he started stumbling with the words again.

“C-come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be. Who… who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea. While up aloft in storm, from me his absence mourn…”

Eren paused, taking another breath before looking up at Levi again, keeping his eyes on him to utter the last sentence.

“And firmly pray, arrive the day, he's never more to roam,” he finished, ignoring to drag out the last word like he was supposed to.

The sea was soundless around them, only the wind singing like it always did. And Eren found it so much more beautiful than his unsteady and insecure voice. Levi’s eyes were still on him, like he was waiting for more. Eren noticed his head was slightly tilted where he rested on his arms.

It wasn’t like Eren was expecting an applause or anything, but at least something, a response, a reaction. Then again, this was a mer-thing and Eren was out of his waters.

“I’m guessing Hanji taught you that?” Levi finally asked, Eren watching his tail curl in the water. He silently nodded, absently clearing his throat.

“Do you want me to sing to you?”

It was not the response nor a question Eren had expected. At all. He probably looked quite dumb founded where he sat, looking at the other.

“Uhh, okay,” he replied, a bit uncertain. He knew what the singing did, how it affected people. How it got them killed. Even back when Hanji was teaching him, singing line by line, Eren could feel the invisible pull towards her. It was strange but most of all scary. Even though she took pauses in-between each sentence for Eren to sing he still found himself, more than once a bit… sleepy.

Eren glanced at the other, his heart skipping a beat as he found his eyes caught in Levi’s, the merman holding his gaze.

And then he opened his mouth, his lips forming words and his stare pulling Eren in. His voice was low, deeper than Eren had expected but the clearness and unwavering he knew would be there. The human briefly found himself wondering if it was intentional or not, but he couldn’t quite focus as a very distant ringing noise filled his ears, growing louder and louder. It got stronger and grew further than being just a noise. It was somehow like a feeling, a touch traveling over his skin, leaving it in goose bumps. And then came the sleepiness, like a quick slap, followed by the numbness. Eren couldn’t break his eyes from Levi’s anymore, he felt too tired to care, to fight it. It felt like it was too late anyway, like he missed his shot and that he might as well go with it. The singing was beautiful, just like Levi, so going closer to that was instinct, right?

The language was foreign, Eren not sure he ever heard it before. Not one word was familiar to him. And it was so, so beautiful.

He could absently hear the sound of water moving, but he couldn’t quite gather from where it came. But when his arms tiredly slipped around Levi’s shoulders the ‘pull’ towards him didn’t go away. Eren wanted to get closer, even where he and Levi sat on the stone, and the human crawled into his lap instead. Even the easiest of movements made him tired, and he wanted to give up and fall into a heap. Yet he stayed sitting, arms around Levi for support as he listened to the voice, now just beside his left ear.

It was hard to handle, almost like an itch, deep, deep under his skin that he was trying to reach.

But Levi held him and sang his words, and in Eren’s dizziness, he could tell Levi knew them from memory, probably having repeated them many times before.

The pull in his chest had Eren frowning, furrowing his eyebrows further until the pain had his eyelids flickering. He didn’t even remember closing them.

His body somehow recognized what it was caused by and Eren suddenly pulled in a deep breath.

His body had forgotten how to breathe.

“Are you okay?” Levi’s voice appeared, tone completely different, and Eren somehow picked up the words. He took the break from the song as his chance, his body catching up, air filling his lungs. But not everything would cooperate and even as Eren opened his mouth, left out a raspy sound, he couldn’t speak. So instead he nodded. And Levi sang again.

Because while it was scary, something deep down inside of him certainly panicking; it was also numbing. And all that fog faded out the panic; Eren left in Levi’s hypnosis.

“Eren,” someone called. It was probably Levi, he recalled. It was still dark outside and Eren wished he could see, at least Levi’s face. Where was the moon again? Wasn’t there moon light somewhere? He had been seeing fine earlier, so what changed?

The ache in his chest, in his heart this time, was overwhelming. Eren opened his eyes with a gasp, his eyes falling onto water. But it was all still blurry, his eyes somehow not focusing on the waves or on the end of the rock he could see. He blinked, his eyes feeling dry, but the blurriness was still there.

“Eren?” Levi asked, sounding a bit concerned by now.

“I-“ Eren started, coughing as his voice hadn’t prepared to speak at all. “I can’t see,” he coughed out, hands tightening where they held onto Levi’s shoulders.

“You can’t see?” Levi asked, worry distinct in his voice. The merman leaned back and everywhere he touched, Eren could feel again. His tail moved under his legs and Eren could feel his muscles tightening, the awful feeling of his limbs still being asleep. It would sometimes happen to one of his feet, but both legs at the same time? It hurt, the stinging feeling having Eren gasp.

“I can’t see,” he continued blinking and rubbing his eyes against his knuckles, hands still gripping onto Levi’s shoulders. “It’s all blurry.”

“Eren, calm down. Focus on me,” Levi said beside his ear, the human shutting his eyes closed again. He tried kicking his legs out but he couldn’t move them yet, the tingling sensation crawling from his toes and up his knees.

“Open your eyes,” Levi spoke, his words a demand rather than an option. So Eren obeyed, opening them and peeking over his shoulder at the water again. And it was getting clearer, the waves now more prominent than before. He took another deep breath, leaning back in Levi’s lap to glance at his face.

He could see everything, it was still a bit indistinct, but he could see Levi’s eyes looking at him. It was scary, telling his eyes to focus and them not obeying. It wasn’t something he should have to think about.

After blinking harshly for another minute Eren could see normally again, his green eyes carefully glancing at Levi. He was a bit embarrassed too, especially by his panic. His legs were still waking up and he gave up trying to move them, the stinging sensation finally stopping.

“That was really beautiful,” Eren admitted, voice muffled where he hid against his neck. He could hear a small chuckle next to him.

“And you’re praising me, of course,” Levi mumbled. The human knew what he was talking about; how Levi had hurt him and instead Eren was admiring him for it.

“I liked it... Not so much the aftermath, though,” Eren smiled, resting his head against him.

“…I’ve never done it before like that,” Levi started, “I’ve sung it before but I’m not sure I’ve ever finished the song,” he said, sounding a bit caught in thoughts. Eren imagined Levi singing the song to pirates up on a tall, looming ship. The bearded, ugly men with yellow teeth would stare in awe at the gorgeous man swimming in the water beneath them. Would they see his tail? Or would they try to pull him up into the boat, to save him? Would they fall for his luring?

“It’s intense,” he whispered, Levi humming a reply.

***-***-***

Jean watched as Klaus came in through the door, shrugging out of his thick bear-skin jacket. Jean wanted to gag. It was summer, for fucks sake. Everyone already knew how Klaus himself killed the bear, he didn’t have to wear it proudly all the fucking time.

“Jean, my boy!” he yelled after greeting one of the older men by the poker table. It was only afternoon but they had already started ordering in beers. Jean watched him walk over to the bar.

“Good day,” Jean greeted nonetheless. He knew it would be childish to ignore the man, but he itched to do it. Or even to punch him, oh god, that would feel so good. It wasn’t because Jean was at work, where he had to act at least moderately nice to the customers.

But Klaus was a ‘family friend’ and Jean almost started boiling even when he only imagined his mother saying the words, her face looking sad.

Jean was aware his mother and the man had been a couple when younger, before Jean’s father stepped into the picture. Klaus was never invited into their house for dinner, yet they were constantly asked by him to come over. Jean had learned from a young age that his father and Klaus didn’t like each other, they never showed that dislike to others but Jean had heard his father curse his name while mumbling to himself, more than once.

So when Jean agreed to let Eren take one of his shifts, the brunette really needed the money, more than Jean, he walked back home early after skipping by the market, grabbing a bag of pears.

He stopped in his tracks when he walked onto the small path through the woods, bending down to pick up a brass coin someone had dropped behind a big boulder. Probably he himself since he was the only one to take this path from town to his house. It was cloudy outside but they rain hadn’t fallen yet, the large trees above him would always prevent him from getting too wet though.

“- bothered. I told you,” Jean heard a familiar voice speak and he peeked up over the large rock, frowning when his eyes fell onto Klaus exiting the backdoor of their house.

“I’ll leave Lena in a second if your husband would give you to me. Like I’ve said before, you’re mine,” he said. Jean watched his mother step outside, her arms crossed.

“Please leave, Klaus,” she said.

“Honey, please,” Klaus said, chuckling. Jean’s eyes widened as he watched the man reach for his zipper and belt to close both.

Jean’s stomach started turning, a gaps leaving his mouth.

What the fuck was going on?

His legs were itching to run up to them, to demand an explanation and perhaps punch Klaus a couple times. But Jean stayed hidden, his eyebrows furrowed.

“I could almost go for another round,” Klaus said and Jean clenched his fist as the man slapped his mother’s behind, his mother clearly uncomfortable as she grabbed his arm.

“Please leave, Gerald could be home any minute now-“ she was interrupted as he grabbed her hair in a tight grip, pressing his mouth against her to quiet her yell.

Jean was shaking with anger and shock as he watched from the woods.

Klaus let go and his mother gasped for air, taking a step backwards.

“That’s how I like it, the taste of my cock on your lips,” Klaus laughed, finally stepping down the stairs. “You got what you wanted, I got what I wanted. The deal is still on?” Klaus asked, Jean looking over to his mother who was holding a hand over her lips.

Jean couldn’t see too well from that far but he was sure he watched her nod.

Realization hit him like a punch. It had to be the money.

His parents had a conversation a while back about how well the business was doing, but since Jean hadn’t seen a rise in customers at all he got a little suspicious. Still as many people came by to order wood and less than half during the summers, as usual. Yet his father had said they made money close to how much they made in the winters. Which didn’t add up.

It had to be the money, his mother must be receiving money.

Jean hadn’t been able to leave until he watched Klaus do. Neither had he went home and instead gone back to the tavern, stepping into Sasha and Connie. And while he hung out with them by the farm, his brain plotted it all out for him, put up a timeline, made sure to imagine all scenarios and possible failures. But Jean was positive he could do it.

***-***-***

“Jean, boy!” Klaus yelled, the blonde looking up from his thought. The man grinned, slamming his jug into the table. “More beer! This round is on me as well, gentlemen,” Klaus exclaimed, the table he sat by cheering loudly.

Jean simply obliged and served them another set of beers, being extra generous with the amount in each cup, the white foam dripping over the rim of the glass.

He watched silently as Klaus chatted along with his friends, the table booming with loud laughs and words. So when Klaus simply wondered aloud if he should have another beer, Jean instantly confirmed and went to fetch another for him.

The other men stopped around there and finally people started to leave. Jean, on the other hand, felt giddy; on his toes. He was usually tired by this time but instead he walked up to the only table left on quick feet. Taking his time picking up the jugs Klaus finally turned to him.

“Matt here is such a dog, isn’t he?” he asked and Matt simply laughed, Jean giving both a polite smile without replying.

“Well, I’m out. Wife is probably already pissing herself with anger,” Matt laughed and stood, almost falling into the wall behind him. Klaus laughed and took the last swig of his jug, emptying it and handing it directly to Jean.

“Only me left, huh? Well I should get moving too,” he grumbled, Jean carrying the tray of glasses into the kitchen. He had already prepared everything in there and placed the tray on the table by the bucket of water, hoping Eren wouldn’t bitch on him for not cleaning them.

“Mr. Hunter,” Jean said as he locked the door to the kitchen, glancing at Klaus standing from the table on wobbly legs.

“I’ve told you, Jean boy, call me Klaus,” he said, only standing by the help of holding onto the chair. Jean wanted to mutter ‘and I’ve told you to not call me Jean boy’ but kept quiet, putting on a false smile.

“Klaus. My mother told me she would fish for crayfish tonight. I’ve heard you’re good at that, would you mind joining us?” Jean asked, placing a hand on Klaus’ arm. “Just for a short while.”

The man raised both eyebrows, his eyelids not following the movement and he looked drunk enough. He definitely smelled.

“O-of course,” he agreed, following Jean outside.

They road they walked felt shorter than usual and Jean’s mind was at war with two different opinions, only listening half-heartedly at what Klaus was blabbering about behind him. The trees appeared looming around them, the road dark and silent.

“Your mother is so nice, she still looks the same as when I met her, I tell you,” Klaus said, Jean giving him a false laugh.

“I tell you, boy, you could’ve been mine, my son, instead. I think we would’ve been a good family,” he said, voice now a bit lowered, a smile on his lips. Jean was caught off guard by those words, glancing at the road in front of them. He saw the opening in the wheat field and took a deep breath, turning to make sure Klaus was following him.

“You really think that?” Jean asked to humour the man. He had only felt disgust the entire evening, now he was suddenly unsure, unknowingly slowing down his steps. He only noticed when Klaus almost bumped into him from behind.

“I do… Jean, next time we go fishing we’re choosing the other lake. I’ve told you this place doesn’t hold any good fishes.” It seemed he had already forgotten it was crayfish they were going for.

“Absolutely, but mom should be waiting,” Jean hurried, jumping over a small rock as his eyes could finally spot the doors in front of them. He jogged over to them, removing the broken chain and opening the door.

Jean’s pulse was loud in his ears. He had succeeded. He had gotten Klaus here without anyone seeing them, without any witnesses.

Jean turned to look at Klaus, his hood falling back as he held the door open to the man.

“-didn’t even know this boat house was still here,” Klaus continued to blabber.

Jean’s heart was beating furiously, his legs pumping with adrenaline.

“W…Where’s she?” Klaus suddenly asked, staring out the water. Jean’s hands were itching, his body almost jumping on the spot. He charged, taking a deep breath, before hitting his palms flat against Klaus’ back. The bear fur felt gross on his hands, almost spiky and then it fell from his hands, the body slowly tumbling over the edge.

Time seemed to go slower, Klaus’ shadow falling over the wall as his body moved in its falling, Jean’s face appearing behind the man, eyes wide and arms stretched out as he had pushed the man over the edge.

The splash made Jean look down, watching Klaus disappear underneath the water. His big body was still visible and Jean watched him swim to the surface after a second.

“What the hell, Jean?!” Klaus boomed and Jean felt fear strike him. He unknowingly took a step back and was about to take another when he watched someone appear behind Claus. Someone who he had been waiting for.

The black hair, grey eyes and dark look made Jean gulp but he closed his mouth, collecting himself before whispering;

“I’ll be in debt to you, please just kill him.”

It was silent around them after Jean’s words echoed off. He glanced at Klaus who looked clueless, becoming aware of the words uttered by the younger man.

“W-what?” Klaus yelled, still not aware someone was lingering right behind him, Levi’s eyes falling from Jean’s to the man in front of him.

“Show me,” Jean spoke quickly, his fists clenching at his sides.

“W-who are you talking to? Get me up now!” Klaus continued, turning his head from side to side before finally he seemed to pick up something in the corner of his eyes.

The world stilled yet again as Jean watched Klaus’ eyes widen, the heavy man turning around at the same time as Levi’s arms lifted from the water. Water fell off his hands, dripping onto the surface as Levi’s hands grabbed onto Klaus’ head. One sliding under his jaw and one gripping his hair on the other side. It looked almost gentle.

Klaus let out a huff of air, Jean clearly seeing how Levi’s tail twisted around the man’s body in a harsh grip before the merman added force to his arms.

The crack echoed around the room, the noise making Jean’s entire body twitch.

His hands gripped onto the fabric of his pants as he watched Levi look up at him, Klaus lifeless body falling from his grip. It didn’t sink but gently rolled forwards with his back to the surface.

Jean didn’t say anything as he stumbled over to turn the lamp off, the entire room going dark. With heavy steps he walked outside, leaning onto the doorframe. He looked up with worry, glancing towards the field, hoping no one was walking around.

What if someone had seen?

What if his mother actually loved Klaus?

What if he had mistaken the situation entirely?

He slammed his hand against the door when closing it, for support as his stomach started pushing up that evening’s dinner. He gasped for air as the bile escaped him, the sting in his throat making him shut his eyes. He felt the wetness there.

When did he start crying?

***-***-***

Eren turned in his bed, glancing towards Armin on his left. With a sigh he pulled the covers higher, shutting his eyes and forcing himself to breathe slower, to calm down.

But somehow he just couldn’t, another sleepless night ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting deep back in Naruto again, like it's not even funny. I left the SasuNaru fandom years ago and now I'm suddenly pulled back in again ?? and no one is here ???
> 
> please send help


	21. To the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man. So we're finally here. After more than 2 years and we're finally here; the end. 
> 
> Now, I had many ways of going with this story and I realized I was mostly prolonging the end a bit there for a while. So with uni starting and everything I finally got my shit together and wrote this. 
> 
> And I'm actually happy with it, I feel like I can finally let go of my baby that is "The Old Boat House". 
> 
> So please, enjoy~ ♡

Red.

Dark red and gurgling, gross sounds.

The white was crushed by sharp teeth, the bone splitting into pieces under the pressure.

Oh Lord.

It was brutal, inhuman and without mercy. It gave pleasure, faces of bliss. The expressions made Eren gag. How could anyone eat something that remotely looked like themselves? How could it make these people enjoy- It was sick. How could Levi-

“Eren!” Armin’s voice boomed, the brown-haired inhaling as he struggled to sit up in his bed.

“Calm down, you were screaming,” Armin hissed, Eren still gasping for air as he stared with wide eyes at Armin in the darkness. Blue eyes met green for a couple of seconds before Armin huffed and stomped back to his bed.

Eren absently cleared his throat, glancing at Marco who sat in his bed, looking a bit worried.

“Are you okay?” he whispered and Eren slowly nodded, looking down at his hands. They were shaking.

He hadn’t had a nightmare like that in a long time. Being chased in dreams? Yeah, that happened from time to time. But dreaming about such… about…

What had the dreams been about, again?

***-***-***

Jean bit into a carrot with a snap, the noise making Eren jump in his seat. He glanced at the other who gave him a weird look.

“Ahem,” Eren coughed, going back to his onion soup. “So…” he started, staring at the green goo on his spoon.

“What?” Jean asked, his eyes falling onto Eren’s soup as well. The restaurant was quiet around them, only the locals silently playing chess by their tables. The midday sun was showing itself through the windows, casting light onto the old, worn tables.

“Hm?” Eren replied, questioning. Jean gave him a look before rolling his eyes, standing up with his empty plate.

When lunch hours rolled around more people arrived to the tavern, a small group of knights from south even stopping by. Eren had to run to their food cellar to collect some dried boar for the men’s taste. If it had been someone simple, someone from town ordering boar they would’ve been turned down because it was too much work. But knights you always had to obey.  
Eren was just glad they didn’t order swan because they didn’t have any at time. They would’ve probably had to improvise with geese, rather than tell the proud knights they were out.

When the most busy hour passed Eren could breathe out. At least tomorrow was Sunday and most damn locals would be at church or home.

***-***-***

It was rather cold outside for Jean’s liking. The crickets were certainly not as loud as yesterday but the sound still annoyed him. He sort of wished he could yell for them to shut up.

With his hands in his pockets he wandered down towards the farm. He watched the sheep stand together by the hay, not making any sound at all. Some were lying down, meaning they were probably asleep. Jean continued on the small road, glancing at the dark forest above him.

He couldn’t help but to wonder what Levi wanted in return, hoping the merman simply didn’t want _anything_. They ate humans, didn’t they? The thought of Eren being so close to something that ate his species made Jean frown. He’d thought about it before, how gross it actually was, especially when Armin once seemed to indicate Eren liked Levi _a lot_.

Shuddering at the thought Jean shook his head, taking a left to enter the field of tall grass, making sure not to fall on any stones or roots.

Suddenly stopping in his tracks, Jean stared forwards at the closed door, the boathouse visible in between the trees even from here. And from under the door came a bright light.

Was Eren there now?

Jean had been sure Eren was going to work evening at the tavern tonight but discarded the thought, now contemplating if he should just turn around and go home. He couldn’t very well let Eren know what he had asked of the merman; he would surely be furious. Then again, the chance of Levi telling Eren himself was still very possible. From what Jean had gathered Levi wasn’t a very talkative person, but he still clearly trusted Eren. Or maybe he just didn’t see the boy as a threat.

Jean kicked his foot silently into the ground, mulling over the thought before figuring he should just leave. If Eren was indeed there, and the idiot hadn’t just forgotten to leave the lamp on, he would surely question Jean’s intentions. Because Jean was sure not as excited to befriend the monsters.

After turning around and starting to leave Jean suddenly heard the door creak behind him, whispering a ‘damn’ under his breath before turning around, putting on a embarrassed smile.

A smile that immediately fell, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him. A nervous breath escaped him before he asked;

“What… what are you doing here?”

***-***-***

Eren glared at the spot on the table, bringing the cloth harshly over it again only to make no whatsoever difference. Why did the pirates have to eat like pigs? The tables in the tavern were already scarred from knives, forks, swords, whatever. But the bar, the bar was something Mrs. Blouse wanted to keep tidy. And here Eren was, trying to remove some unknown stain without any success. And he would surely get the blame for it in the first place.

Throwing the cloth harshly at the wall inside the kitchen Eren groaned, sitting down onto the small stool. Hugo gave him a look from where he was preparing the bread, asking Eren a silent question.

“I’m just tired,” Eren replied, rubbing his cheeks, “I’ve been here since morning and Jean is supposed to be here by now. If that fucker forgot-”

“So what does it matter? There’s probably not gonna be that many people today, as long as no damn pirates show up again,” Hugo said, kneading the dough on the table in front of him. Eren thought about being nice and asking if he could help but he really couldn’t be bothered.

“Ugh,” Eren groaned, resting his face in his hands.

Jean didn’t show up. Hugo was also right about his predictions and Eren got a good cleanup of the place, at the lack of something to do. The deer horns and whatever animal bones were hung on the wall got a good dusting, the tables a thorough cleaning and the copper pots a nice polishing. Everything looked pretty damn clean after Eren was done, if he could say so himself. Two of the locals were sat in the corner, a different spot than usual, and Eren wondered if he was imagining them staring at him from time to time. He recognized them but couldn’t remember the names.

There were also not too complicated orders being made and Eren even got to talk to Amanda, the waitress/entertainer for an hour or so while she sat at the bar. It was mostly gossip about a new salesman from south who was planning on opening a store in town. And he was apparently really sleazy, according to Amanda.

But as night fell over them Eren started to finish up his shores, the two men in the corner finally leaving as well. Eren quickly cleaned up in the kitchen and turned off the last lamp. Locking the kitchen he hid the key at the usual place, dusting off his pants as he grabbed his lantern to head towards a place to sleep.

Eren had promised himself he would try to distance himself at least a little from Levi, and not hang on his shoulders _every_ day. So that morning he nodded to himself in the mirror, making plans to sleep at Connie’s house.

Because the orphanage was closed Eren usually went to Jean’s place to sleep, but he wasn’t in the mood to start arguing with the other why he didn’t show up to work. Eren rarely did full days at the tavern but felt a bit accomplished afterwards, even if he was sporting a mild headache. Connie's family had a small shed in the yard where they stored some of their winter cloths and sheep skins, so Eren had gotten the permission to sleep over there whenever he wanted to, which was nice. The shed had weird smell, but the sheep skins were a luxury to sleep on.

…

With a second thought, Eren decided he could do that some other day.

***-***-***

“I saw you,” a hoarse voice whispered in Jean’s ear, the threatful tone making Jean’s heart pick up it’s rate.

“I don’t know what you’re-”

“Liar!” the man spit, his grip on Jean’s arm tightening.

They were stood at the edge inside the boat house, a sharp knife pressed against Jean’s throat, the teen facing the waters with the older man standing behind him. Jean could smell his foul breath, the scent almost as painful as the blade pressed against his throat.

“I saw you,” the man repeated, somehow sounding partially exited, like he had solved a crime.

Which he might’ve very much done, Jean thought with fear in his heart.

“Oh yeah, I saw you. When you led Klaus here, playing the innocent little lamb,” he said, tightening his grip further at the last words. Jean groaned, trying again to get out of the tight ropes. He was standing but the old man had overpowered him earlier, tying his hands behind his back. And when the knife came up Jean stopped fighting.

The man was Matt, Jean was sure of it. He hadn’t seen his face in their scuffle before, and the rough beard and oily hair was a common look between the sailors in town. But Jean recognized that voice.

“So, now I ask of you again, to call out your dear siren,” he urged, forcing Jean to take another step forwards with him.

“It’s the one you kiss and fuck, right?” Matt continued, Jean’s eyes widening.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Let me go! When my father-”

“Your father isn’t going to care when he learns that you fucked the siren, a male siren! The one who turned the ship last month! You’ll be a disgrace to the entire village, they’ll want your head on a spear!” Matt went on.

Jean stared out the water below him. The boat doors were closed but he could see the moonlight reflecting in the dark waves. It was impossible to see if someone was beneath the surface, but Jean had to guess someone had heard them by now. All he could do was hope for it to be Levi, or maybe that kind female with the orange hair-

The teen was brought out of his thoughts as the grip on his arm tightened even further, Jean yelling in pain.

If he was pushed into the water Levi would be his only way out of death; his hands were tied and the other merpeople were probably hungry for his flesh.

“And you got Klaus killed, I know you did! I wondered why you and him were going down here so late. Then I saw you return on your own. I know what you did… I saw you, siren-fucker,” Matt hissed, huffing behind him like he was out of breath.

Shit.

Fuck.

“Call for it, I know you know it’s name. I know that it knows you.”

“I still have no clue-”

“Want to try that again, siren-fucker?” Matt yelled in his ear, Jean instinctively leaning away, almost losing his balance.

“I’ve got a lot of tools in here I can use until it comes for your rescue. You can pick, the fish-hook, the pliers? I hear they’re great for picking nails-”

“Levi,” Jean called in defeat, listening to Matt silencing behind him.

“Levi,” Matt repeated, “Levi, why don’t you come here and collect your human!” Matt spoke louder, “Come up here and I won’t hurt him!”

Jean breathed, being pushed closer to the edge. Another step and he would fall in; Matt’s grip on his arm was the only thing holding him backwards.

“Fuck, Levi, please,” Jean called himself, growing desperate.

“I’ll fucking kill him if you don’t show up!” Matt’s voice boomed in his ears, making Jean bend forwards from the loud noise. The knife was gone from his throat, Jean wondering for a second why that was.

Then he noticed he was falling.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He didn’t even have time to inhale before he hit the water, headfirst. It wasn’t too cold thanks to the summer weather but Jean immediately started panicking, trying to turn himself upright, kicking harshly with his legs.

He had to get up.

He had to find the surface.

When two hands gripped around his waist Jean panicked, releasing all air as his reflex was to yell. Water was entering his nose from being upside down, now also flowing into his mouth and lungs.

The sudden pull had him shutting his eyes further, tensing his muscles as he was moved through the water.

Into the air.

His body hit the hard ground that had the floor, Jean coughing up the water, weakly opening his eyes.

To stare directly at a fear-struck Eren, frozen in position with a shovel raised above his head, Matt’s body lying still on the floor.

Closing his eyes again Jean focused on getting air in his lungs, his wet clothes making the teen shudder at the coldness. His fringe was sticking to his forehead, arms still tied behind him, hands clenching and unclenching at nothing.

“Eren, calm down,” he heard a deep voice speak behind him, Jean too tired to turn around. He knew who it was already.

“I killed him,” Eren gasped, the sudden sound of the shovel falling to the floor making Jean twitch and snap his eyes open.

“I think I killed him, oh my-” Eren continued, panic evident in his voice.

“Reiner,” the merman behind him called, Jean listening to fabric being moved heavily against the floor before a loud splash was heard, Matt’s body probably being pushed over the edge.

“My hands,” Jean wheezed, coughing between the words.

“Shit,” Eren hissed, the sound of steps now being heard before Jean felt someone grab his hands, the sound of a knife or something sharp cutting against the rope.

His knuckles fell to the hard floor, Jean weakly moving to sit up. Turning around his eyes fell on Levi, who in turn was observing him. Eren on the other hand kept gazing towards the water, rubbing his hands like he was the one who had been tied.

“Th-thank you,” Jean got out, his coughing slowly coming to a stop. His throat hurt, the rough feeling making him frown and blink in pain. To whom he was addressing he wasn’t really sure.

“Shit, Jean are you okay,” Eren asked, looking over at him again.

“I’m okay, sorry,” he cowardly said, staring down at the floor.

“You don’t have to apologize, shit, it’s not your fault-”

“-will you calm down with the ‘shit’,” Levi muttered.

“-and it’s okay that you called on Levi, he’s… he can...Oh my god, I killed him, didn’t I?” Eren continued, panicking again.

“Calm down or I’ll throw you in as well,” Levi suddenly said, Eren’s feet finally coming to a stop where he had been trampling around the place.

“Tell me what happened,” Eren suddenly insisted instead, appearing before Jean’s vision, gripping his friend’s knees. Jean looked up at him in reflex, still shivering with his arms around himself.

Jean didn’t reply though, evading Eren’s eyes as he turned to glance at Levi for a mere second.

“Jean? Please tell me. Did he think you were me or something? How did he-”

“I was here two days ago,” Jean interrupted him, figuring he should just get it over with. He was the one to blame here, it was his own damn fault he had been seen.

Jean wouldn’t say he regretted what he did, maybe that he relied on Levi to carry out the deed when it really wasn’t in his place. In the moment of planning that evening Jean had just figured he would do the merman a favor; they ate people, didn’t they?

He hadn’t thought it over enough; how mad Eren would be, how risky it was.

“I panicked, Eren. I needed him gone, you have no idea what he did to my mother,” Jean said, already on the defence. He didn’t know how much Eren had heard before he decided to hit Matt in the back of his head with the shovel.

“Matt?” Eren asked, looking a bit clueless.

So he hadn’t heard anything.

“No, Klaus,” Jean admitted, avoiding his eyes again.

“Klaus…” Eren finally seemed to understand, his voice silencing. “But he’s… “ Eren wondered aloud, Jean gathering himself to look up at his friend, wearing a hooded look. He felt like a villian.

“What did you do, Jean?” Eren asked, his large eyes making his face look rather eerie in the dim light.

“I took him here, I killed him,” Jean said, voice growing strained from speaking too much after having his lungs near-flooded with water.

Eren was silent as he continued to stare down at him. Even as he was wearing a confused expression his fists were tightening by his sides as he loomed over Jean.

“I made Levi-”

“You fucking didn’t,” Eren interrupted him, looking close to lashing out, shaking his head. Jean stared at him as he slowly got to his feet, the water squishing in his wet shoes as he stood.

“I’m not sorry for what I did, Eren. I’m not going to tell you what Klaus did but believe me, you would’ve done the same if you were in my situation.”

“I wouldn’t fucking ask someone else to do the dirty job!” Eren replied, releasing his full voice as his eyebrows furrowed.

“-but I am sorry for asking Levi to-”

“Why did you listen to him?” Eren snapped, turning to the merman who sat on the floor, looking close to angry himself. Then again, if Jean recalled, he always looked pretty sour.

“You two have fun with this, don’t drag me into it.”

“Well you’re ‘ _in it_ ’ if you’re going around killing people when you said-”

“I didn’t promise you anything, Eren,” Levi said, silencing Eren with his quick, cold words. Jean watched Eren close his mouth, lips tightening.

Clearing his throat he gathered his friend’s attention, giving him a tired look.

“Eren, I’m sorry. I took the opportunity, it’s my fault,” Jean tried, tightening his arms around himself. Letting out a shudder he indicated to the other that he wanted to leave and go home, to change his clothes and go to sleep.

Eren turned around, towards the water and Jean was about to leave before he heard him speak.

“Did anyone else know? Apart from Matt, I mean,” he asked in a tight voice.

“No, at least not if Matt was speaking the truth earlier. He was planning on killing Levi to get the glory for himself. He saw me lead Klaus in here and return alone after, that’s why he knew it was me,” Jean said, picking up the lamp he had dropped earlier when Matt grabbed him. It wasn’t burning no longer and it looked like all the oil had poured out, yet he couldn’t just leave it here. It was his father’s.

Jean heard Eren sigh, grabbing the door. With a second thought, he turned back to add:

“Someone must’ve seen you two… being intimate. Because while he wrongly thought it was me and Levi Matt still had some pretty… detailed evidence.”

***-***-***

Hugo woke up early as usual, stretching his arms above his head. The old kitchen-sofa he was sleeping in was hard on his back but long enough for his legs. He had gotten used to the thing after so many years, yawning as he stood onto his two naked feet.

Quickly stuffing inside the sheets and his pillow the chef closed the lid to the sofa, functioning as a bench during the day.

The walk to his bathroom was slow, sleep still lingering like a cloud around his head. Summer was nice, because his feet weren’t cold against the wooden floor. His mother’s knitted carpets were spread around the floor nonetheless, always such life saviours during the colder months. As a child Hugo would always use to jump from carpet to carpet to avoid the cold floor.

After cleaning off his face in the washing bowl Hugo dressed in his usual clothes, putting on his shoes. He quickly did a check on his sleeping, old mother before silently leaving the house.

The morning air was crisp, the tall chef watching as sheep looked up to observe him on his walk towards the tavern.

Finding the key hidden in the usual spot Hugo released another yawn as he unlocked the door to the kitchen, the motion now automated as he went over to turn on the fire first thing. The regulars would come dragging their old feet through the door any minute, whining for tea and bread.

Hugo walked over to the pantry room, opening the door only for his feet to come to a stop.

“What the-”

***-***-***

Eren felt Levi’s eyes at the back of his head, the teen pouting as he stared out the window of the boat. The mattress under them was still a bit damp from both not drying up enough after a swim.

“Are you still angry?” Levi asked behind him, Eren deciding not to answer.

“Stop being a child,” the merman sighed, Eren huffing in reply.

“I’m not angry, I’m disappointed. And I’m not a child-”

“-you’re a child, Eren-”

“Then if I am a child, why do you keep telling me to stop being one,” Eren shot back, turning around to stare at Levi. The merman stared back, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, so when you make a mistake it’s okay to just roll your eyes as a reply-”

“Why are you being so upset?” Levi asked, his voice a bit calmed. Almost gentle.

“I’m not-” Ere started before closing his mouth, releasing a sigh instead.

“I’m disappointed, like I said. Not upset, not angry,” Eren clarified, collecting himself as well.

“With me? Or with Jean?” Levi asked, moving closer to the human who didn’t mind. All Levi had to do was roll a small bit closer and then Eren scooted to meet him, throwing his arm onto his chest.

“No one,” Eren replied, voice only a mumble. With a little difficulty Eren finally got the thin sheets over his and Levi’s body, the human then getting comfortable beside him. After a bit of shuffling around and sighing in annoyance Eren was done, leaning his head in the crock of Levi’s neck.

“You done?” Levi teased, only to receive a light jab in his side from Eren.

“Let’s just be over with it; it’s the only thing we’ve spoken about for the last hours,” Eren said, referring to the entire incident with Jean.

He still hadn’t learned what Klaus had done to Jean or his mother. All he knew about the man was what Jean would occasionally tell him when they were chatting in the kitchen, Jean always glaring daggers at the man.

It had to be pretty serious for Jean to go such lengths, something Eren wouldn’t have believed his friend would ever dare to do.

Jean was mostly a coward, for all Eren knew.

When Eren sat down and thought about it, he knew he wasn’t surprised by Levi’s behaviour. Eren had done something similar, with the three men hunting him two years back. To be fair Eren hadn’t really known Levi by then, and he was threatened with a life or death situation. Then again Jean didn’t know Levi that well either…

Eren dropped the thoughts, shaking them from his head as he snuggled into the merman’s neck, careful not to cut his face on the sharp gills.

“You need a haircut again,” Eren mumbled, nosing against Levi’s warm skin. The merman let out a short laugh, his own lips pressing against the top of Eren’s head.

“I’ll ask Petra then,” he replied, voice deep, probably from sleepiness. Eren stared down at his hand at Levi’s waist, finger-tips exploring the skin where it faded into colorful scales. It was rough on his fingers one way and completely smooth the other.

“I could do it,” he suggested, a bit embarrassed by his childish jealousy. Then again, the two merpeople had been a pair way back, as Levi had informed him. In all honesty, Eren couldn’t really blame Levi. Petra was both nice and good-looking, like all of them were. Eren was surprised, however, when he didn’t hear a laugh because of his suggestion.

“If you promise to actually try to do a good job,” Levi replied instead.

Eren glanced up at his chin, which was all he could see from his position, eyes then moving down to stare at the wall in front of him.

It was silent around them, only the low, familiar sound of the waves hitting the part of the boat that wasn’t stranded onto the shore. The tide was rather high and Eren had been worried the boat would get pulled out by the waves one day. There was a thin rope tied to one of the trees which would probably snap from the slightest pressure.

Eren liked this spot, he didn’t want to come back one day for the boat to have disappeared, kidnapped by the waves.

“I could take care of your tail as well, and clean your fins,” Eren continued, chest moving slowly from his relaxed breathing.

“I’m sure you could,” Levi replied, again not joking or making fun of him. His words and voice made Eren close his eyes, a smile permanent on his lips.

He could stay here, just like this, for the rest of his life. Levi was warm beside him, the music of water a lullaby to Eren’s ears. But best of all was the feeling of Levi’s lips against his forehead when he gently spoke to him.

“I really like this,” Eren decided to word himself, voice now only a whisper.

“It’s nice,” Levi agreed. With a gentle adjustment Levi moved one hand down to grip Eren’s, intertwining their fingers. Eren stared at them, how well they fit together.

“I don’t want to be alone again,” Eren said out of the blue a minute later. His mind had been wondering when his mouth decided to speak aloud. Levi didn’t move from his position but his nose released a breath against Eren’s head.

“I mean… I don’t think I can go back to how things were before this, before I knew you,” Eren tried to explain, sorting through his many thoughts.

“Many things can happen, Eren,” Levi replied, the grown-up voice making Eren roll his eyes.

“I know that, but I’m still… worried. That this will suddenly end, you know?”

Levi seemed to know as he formed his lips to kiss the top of Eren’s head before pressing them to his forehead again. The teen caressed his thumb against Levi’s hand down where they were still tied, the merman squeezing his hand in reassurance.

“Why wasting your time worrying?” Levi asked.

“I don’t know, I just am. There are so many threats, the people from my village and your people who don’t approve of me,” Eren suggested, counting only two.

“No one disapproves of you,” Levi countered.

“Wrong wording then; merpeople who see me as the _human_ I am,” Eren corrected, Levi understanding what he meant.

“It doesn’t matter, because I’m not leaving you alone.”

“Except I am alone, most of the day. Because you can’t go where I have to be,” Eren said, feeling his fringe move with the air as Levi sighed. With a tired humm the human closed his eyes, listening to Levi’s breathing.

“I would follow you if I could, you know that Eren. Don’t curse me for my weaknesses-”

“That’s not what I meant,” Eren huffed, keeping his eyes shut.

“What is it then?” Levi asked, sounding close to confused. It was unusual, almost a little cute Eren couldn’t help but to think.

Gathering the thoughts in his head Eren finally saw it, how clear it all really was. How obvious it had been all along.

Surprising Levi he sat up to lean on his elbow, Eren looking down at the merman with a smile.

“Let’s leave,” he said, sounding almost out of breath. Levi raised an eyebrow, watching the younger’s eyes shine with excitement.

“Leave?”

“You and me. Let’s go somewhere, only the two of us. Let’s take this boat and just fucking leave,” Eren released with a laugh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

It was so stupid, how clear it all was.

Levi opened his mouth to shoot him down, question his sanity but stopped himself before a word could be uttered. Eren stared back at him with his heart in his throat.

“Let’s leave,” he repeated in a whisper.

With the summer night's wind whistling outside, the waves crashing against the boat and an owl hooting in the distance Eren’s gentle smile widened. Levi regarded him for another moment, eventually releasing a low laugh.

“Okay.”

***-***-***

Hugo scratched his head, staring wide-eyed at the pantry in front of him. The majority of the shelves were empty, the basket of bread completely gone.

“What the-” he repeated, walking over to the smaller cabinets to discover the silverware had been stolen as well. But not the expensive copper pots nor the silver spoons.

Noticing the entire box of grapes was also gone Hugo stared in wonder at the empty spot, rubbing the back of his neck.

***-***-***

“And so they stole half the food supply from the tavern, the human making sure to grab the box of grapes as he knew they were the merman’s favorite,” Armin added, nodding to the young red-head, a cluster of grapes resting in her hands. She smiled in reply, her two front teeth missing.

“That was really mean, though,” Dennis, one of the boys added. He kept kicking his feet against the frame of the bed he sat on, shoes worn on his feet. Armin shrugged.

“It sure was, but the human would probably need it if he was to stay on the sea for so long.”

“Wouldn’t he be seasick? My cousin always gets seasick from going far out,” the other boy replied, the one Armin had been there to examine. Armin had reached the conclusion that it had to be something with the kidneys, asking Frida to keep an eye out on Alf’s eating habits.

“Perhaps,” Armin said, smiling at the boy who imitated a dramatic version of someone barfing, Yuna, the red-haired girl, laughing at him.

“There was one more thing that the human and merman took before leaving,” Armin continued, catching the children’s attention. “Because if you’re going to go away for a long, long time, you need a change of clothes and sheets, right?”

“And pillows!” Yuna added, the blonde doctor nodding.

“So when Mrs. Frida walked up to do the laundry at the washhouse one morning, she noticed that some sheets and blankets were missing.”

“Had they taken them? From here?” Alf asked, Yuna looking at him as he spoke.

“Yep. Mrs. Frida wasn’t happy, as you might’ve figured out,” Armin said, smiling as he knew Frida herself was standing outside the door, behind the children. He had seen her clothes when she walked by.

“That’s so naughty,” Yuna said, gripping the end of her dress, giggling.

“And then they disappeared together, never to be seen again,” Armin finished, watching as Frida walked inside, making herself heard as she opened the door further. Yuna turned to look at her and then gasp dramatically and turn to whisper in Alf’s ear, giggling when Frida gave her a look.

“What? So Eren became a merman too?” Alf asked, ignoring Yuna’s snickering by his side.

“No, he’s still human,” Armin replied. ‘At least as far as I know,’ he mentally added. His eyes moved over to Dennis who stared at his feet, a frown on his face. Then he turned to Armin, looking very confused.

“I still don’t believe it. Mermen aren’t real.”

“And that’s probably for the better,” Frida added behind them, hands on her hips, giving Armin a look. The blonde rose to his feet, his doctor’s portfolio already packed up and closed. He gave her an apologizing smile, watching the old woman roll her eyes.

“Children, it’s lunch downstairs now,” she said, the three getting on their feet immediately to sprint down the stairs, right by the “NO RUNNING IN THE STAIRS” sign.

“No need to tell them fairy tales, their paranoia will only grow,” Frida said now that they were left alone. Armin collected his coat and bag, following Frida down the stairs.

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Armin asked, receiving a tired sigh from her end.

“So still nothing? No one’s heard of Eren?” she asked when they walked outside into the summer sun, the large dining table filled with eager children waiting to dig in. Makrill, it looked like, Armin noted as they passed the table and headed towards the gates.

“No. But I’m not really waiting for it anymore, though. It’s been too many years,” Armin admitted, a smile still on his lips. He turned to Frida when they reached the entrance to the orphanage, the doctor watching her worried sigh.

“You sure you don’t want to stay for lunch? We owe you that and so much more,” she said instead, trying to suppress her concern. If Armin wasn’t worried about Eren then she shouldn’t be.

“Has Ingrid done the cooking?” Armin asked in reply and Frida laughed aloud, eyes wrinkling with humor.

“Then I’ll skip,” Armin chuckled, turning to look at two kids chasing each other around the old oak.

“I always thank you for coming here voluntarily, Armin, but I will keep doing it. It’s helped so many of them, we’re so thankful,” Frida said, wearing her familiar smile, tilting her head.

“It’s no problem, I’ve got time. You know that,” Armin said before Yuna came running towards them again.

“You never told us what the human’s name was! Not the merman either,” she exclaimed, grabbing onto Frida’s long dress and apron.

“I didn’t tell you because it’s a secret,” Armin winked, Yuna pouting at him. Before she ran he called her name, her eyes turning to him again.

“Do you remember what I told you, though? The important thing.”

“No,” she said after a second of thinking, looking clueless. Armin spoke in a serious voice as he replied.

“Stay away from the water.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you _so much_ to everyone who has read! （*´▽｀*）
> 
> I'm eternally thankful for your wonderful comments and your amazing support. I can definitely say I wouldn't have finished this if it wasn't for you. So again, a million times; **Thank you!**

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed in any way, or hated it or have a question, please comment! Thank you!


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